liiiliiiii 


3  1822  01080  4128 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 

SAN  DIEGO 


BV    362S  Nf,  n    igoo 


lllilii 

3   1822  01080  4128 


•t  ( s:. 


THE    BLACK    BISHOP 

SAMUEL   ADJAI    CROWTHER 


BY 


JESSE   PAGE,   F.R.G.S. 


WITH   PREFACE   BY   EUGENE    STOCK,   D.C.L. 

LATE    EPITORIAL    SF.CRETAR1'     OF    THK    CHURCH     MISSIONARY    SOCIETY 


WITH    1 6    ILLUSTRATIONS    AND    MAP 


FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 
NEW   YORK    :    CHICAGO 


WILLIAM    BRENDON   AND  SON,    LTD. 

PRINTERS 

PLYMOUTH,    ENGLAND 


TO 
THE  RIGHT  HON. 

SIR   GEORGE   D.  TAUBMAN    GOLDIE 

P.C,  K.C.M.G.,  D.C.L.,  LL.D.,  F.R.S. 

THE   FOUNDER  OF  NIGERIA, 

WHO  WAS   A   FRIEND   OF  THE   LATE 

BISHOP  CROWTHER 

AND  IS  THE  EARNEST  WELL-WISHER  OF 

THE  WEST  AFRICAN   RACE, 

THIS  VOLUME 

IS   DEDICATED   BY   KIND  PERMISSION. 


PREFACE 

"\  ^  riTH  real  pleasure  I  respond  to  Mr.  Page's  kind 
request  that  I  should  write  a  brief  preface  to 
his  book.  I  knew  Bishop  Crowther  well,  and  greatly 
appreciated  the  simplicity  of  his  character  and  the 
devotion  of  his  whole  heart  and  life  to  the  Niger 
Mission.  It  is  a  good  and  a  right  thing  that  his  bio- 
graphy should  be  written  ;  good  and  right  also  to 
dwell  most  fully  upon  the  central  parts  of  his  long 
career  as  Mr.  Page  has  done.  The  story  of  his  rescue 
from  the  slave  ship  and  of  his  early  days,  both  before 
and  after  that  decisive  moment  in  his  hfe,  is  tolerably 
familiar,  having  been  told  in  speeches  and  lectures 
and  books  and  magazines  innumerable.  Many  amongst 
us  have  vivid  recollections  of  the  times  of  difficulty 
and  controversy  that  caused  his  later  years  to  be  some- 
what shadowed.  What  the  author  of  this  biography 
has  mainly  sought  to  do,  and  has  done  with  skill  and 
judgment,  is  to  portray  the  missionary  Bishop  at  work 
during  the  earlier  years  of  the  Niger  Mission. 


vi  PREFACE 

Samuel  Crowther's  career  was  unique.     A  kidnapped 
slave  in  1821,  a  rescued  slave  in  1822,  a  mission  school- 
boy in  1823,  a  baptized  Christian  in  1825,  a  college 
student  in  1826,  a  teacher  in  1828,  a  clergyman  in 
1843,  a  missionary  to  the  country  whence  he  had  been 
stolen  in  1845,  the  founder  of  a  new  mission  in  1857, 
the  first  negro  bishop  in  1864, — where  is  the  parallel 
to  such  a  life  ?     And  what  a  famihar  figure  he  was  to 
us  at  home  !     Ten  times  in  seventy  years  he  came  to 
England.     In  his  later  years   as   Bishop  he  was  in 
constant  demand  as  a  speaker  all  over  the  country, 
and  his  absolute  unselfishness  and  cheerful  readiness 
to  be  at  everybody's  service  were  an  example  indeed 
to  "  deputations."     If  he  had  accomplished  nothing 
in  Africa  he  would  still  have  been  a  valuable  helper 
of  the  missionary  cause  among  ourselves.     But,  in 
fact,   after  all  possible  deductions,  he  accompHshed 
much  in  Africa.     Amid  circumstances  of  almost  un- 
exampled difficulty  he  went  steadily  on  his  way  ;  and 
if  the  Upper  Niger  in  his  Hfetime  bore  little  fruit,  the 
Delta  to-day,   with  its  cannibalism  and  infanticide 
and  horrible  superstitions   practically   at   an   end — 
though  not  its  sin,  and  who  could  expect  that? — is  a 
monument  to  Bishop  Crowther's  indomitable  perse- 
verance in  a  holy  cause.     He  lived  in  an  atmosphere 
of   suspicion    and   scandal,   yet   no   tongue,   however 


PREFACE  vii 

malicious,  ventured  to  whisper  reproach  against  his 
personal  character.  Some  might  criticize  his  adminis- 
tration; no  one  ever  questioned  his  sincerity  and 
simplicity. 

I  heard  of  his  death  one  Sunday  morning  while  I 
was  in  Rome,  in  January,  1892.  I  was  to  address 
Signor  Capellini's  band  of  earnest  Christian  Itahan 
soldiers  that  evening.  I  put  aside  the  subject  I  had 
chosen  and  told  them  the  story  of  Samuel  Crowther. 
Never,  surely,  had  an  audience  been  more  surprised 
and  interested. 

I  commend  Mr.  Page's  volume  heartily  to  the 
reader  of  missionary  books ;  and  the  Mission,  with  its 
modem  developments  under  Bishop  Tugwell,  Bishop 
James  Johnson,  Archdeacon  Crowther  (the  Bishop's 
son),  Archdeacon  Dennis,  Dr.  Miller,  and  others,  to 
the  prayers  and  sympathies  of  all  Christian  people. 


AUTHOR'S    FOREWORD 

IT  is  a  reminder  of  the  flight  of  time  that  twenty 
years  have  passed  since  I  saw  Bishop  Crowther 
and  wrote  a  short  sketch  of  his  hfe  in  my  series  of 
missionary  biographies  pubhshed  by  Messrs.  Part- 
ridge. Since  then  much  has  happened.  The  sickle  of 
that  great  Reaper,  who  strews  his  swath  with  full  ripe 
golden  corn  and  frail  young  flowerets,  has  gathered 
this  good  old  man  Home.  And  now,  after  all  these 
years,  his  son,  Archdeacon  D.  C.  Crowther,  on  behalf 
of  the  family  and  many  friends,  has  asked  me  to  pre- 
pare from  the  mass  of  papers  and  letters  left  behind 
by  his  father  a  complete  biography  upon  a  scale  and 
with  a  fulness  worthy  of  his  character  and  career. 

The  task  has  not  been  an  easy  one,  but  it  has  been 
made  possible  by  the  kind  co-operation  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society,  to  whom  I  have  been  so  much 
indebted  in  respect  of  my  previous  books,  and  in  this 
particular  instance  they  have  rendered  me  a  priceless 
service.  I  have  had  the  privilege  of  perusing  their 
Niger    correspondence    during    the    long    period    of 


X  AUTHOR'S   FOREWORD 

Crowther's  career  as  student,  schoolmaster,  catechist, 
clergyman,  explorer,  and  finally  as  Bishop  of  the  Niger. 
It  has  been  literally  a  labour  of  love  to  collate,  with 
necessary  care,  not  only  this  mass  of  valuable  material 
in  the  archives  of  Salisbury  Square,  but  the  hundreds 
of  letters  and  MSS.  sent  me  from  West  Africa.  I  am 
grateful  for  the  help  also  afforded  me  by  some  of  the 
Bishop's  old  friends,  amongst  whom  I  would  specially 
mention  the  Rev.  Canon  Henry  Venn,  a  name  to  him 
so  full  of  sacred  associations ;  Archdeacon  James 
Hamilton,  who  was  with  him  on  the  Niger  in  those 
closing  years  ;  Bishop  James  Johnson,  his  old  and 
true  yoke-fellow,  still  in  the  field;  and  the  Rev.  J. 
Bradford  Whiting,  his  commissary  in  England  and 
greatly  esteemed  friend.  Last,  and  certainly  not 
least,  I  have  to  thank  Dr.  Eugene  Stock  for  his 
kindness  in  looking  over  my  proof  sheets  and  for 
the  Preface  which  he  has  so  appropriately  written 
for  this  work. 

I  will  only  add  that  it  has  been  my  earnest  endeavour 
in  these  pages  to  allow  the  Bishop  to  speak  for  him- 
self, and  to  reappear  to  his  friends,  old  and  new — 
enemies  he  has  none — as  a  living  personality,  exercising 
those  gifts  of  head  and  heart  with  which  God  endowed 
him  for  that  great  work  to  which  He  called  him  amidst 
his  own  kindred  and  people. 


AUTHOR'S   FOREWORD  xi 

Nigeria  has  a  future  of  great  promise  before  it, 
although  it  may  be  some  time  before  Lagos  becomes 
the  Liverpool  of  West  Africa,  and  the  lordly  Niger  the 
highway  of  a  prosperous  and  developed  Protectorate 
of  the  British  Empire.  Still,  every  mile  of  railway 
brings  this  consummation  nearer,  and,  in  a  deeper 
sense,  every  Christian  convert  makes  it  more  possible. 
There  are  difficulties  to  face,  of  which  climate  takes  a 
second  place  to-day,  and  the  resources  of  a  wise  and 
courageous  statescraft  will  be  taxed  to  the  uttermost 
in  their  settlement.  But  if  in  the  remaking  of  this 
nation  we  lay  our  foundations  in  righteousness,  eUmi- 
nating  all  those  hurtful  elements  which  give  us  trouble 
at  home,  it  may  be  the  lot  of  these  Black  children  of 
our  world-wide  Empire  to  dwell  in  safety  under  the 
smile  of  Heaven.  And  assuredly  all  along  the  line  of 
her  coming  history,  however  chequered  it  may  be,  the 
sons  of  Africa  will  never  forget  the  memory  of  one 
who,  sharing  their  sorrows  as  one  of  themselves, 
exalted  their  race  in  honour  and  lived  and  laboured 
for  his  country  and  his  God. 

JESSE   PAGE 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Preface  .......       v 

Author's  Foreword  .  .  .  •  .      ix 

CHAPTER   I 
A  Little  Slave  Boy  .....        » 

CHAPTER   II 
Schoolmaster  and  Explorer       .  .  .  -33 

CHAPTER   III 
From  College  to  Mission  Field  .  .  .68 

CHAPTER   IV 
Up  the  Niger  Again  .  .  •  •  .    m 

CHAPTER  V 
The  Mission  Planted  and  Firstfruits  .  .    146 

CHAPTER  VI 
Consecration  and  After  .  .  .  .  .183 


xiv  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER   VII 

PAGE 

The  Bishop  Kidnapped        .  .  .  .  .211 


CHAPTER   VIII 
In  Labours  more  Abundant         ....    240 

CHAPTER    IX 
Correspondence  and  Counsels    .  .  .  .275 

CHAPTER  X 
Storm  Clouds  and  Sunbeams       .  .  .  .314 

CHAPTER  XI 
In  the  Crucible  and  at  Rest     ....    347 

CHAPTER  XII 
The  Field — To-dav  and  To-morrow       .  .  .    390 


Index 433 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FouRAH  Bay  College 

Some  of  the  Bishop's  Old  Friends 

Caves  of  Olumo  Rock,  Abeokuta 

Market  Place,  Lagos 

Visit  of  Mohammedan  Chiefs 

Opobo  Women  and  Children 

Bonny  Chief  and  Wives    . 

Fetish  House  at  Angiama 

Delta  School  and  Native  Teacher 

The  Bishop  and  his  Native  Clergy 

Congregation  leaving  St.  James,  Bonny 

Akwete  Chapel  and  Pastorate  Boat    . 

Archdeacon  D.  C.  Crowther 

Christ  Church,  Lagos 

Dedication  of  St.  Stephen's,  Bonny 

Four  Niger  Bishops  to-day 

Map  of  C.M.S.  Missions  in  West  Africa 


PAGE 
36 

61 

84 
112 
149 
172 
200 
230 
264 
290 
316 

364 
378 

394 
416 
440 


XV 


CHAPTER   I 

A   LITTLE   SLAVE   BOY 

AFRICA  is  the  mystery  land  of  the  world.  It  is 
■i~^  old  as  the  everlasting  hills,  and  yet  in  a  sense 
newborn,  for  the  maps  of  a  century  ago  had  nothing 
to  disclose  of  its  vast  interior  but  blank  spaces,  as  un- 
discovered as  the  North  Pole.  Since  then,  however, 
explorers  have  penetrated  these  solitudes,  and  in  the 
subsequent  scramble  for  empire  the  flags  of  the 
foreigner  have  been  busy  in  the  partition  by  pin- 
pricks of  this  immense  anybody's  land. 

And  yet  the  traveller  thither  often  finds  himself  a 
modern  trespasser  on  ancient  landmarks,  and  dis- 
covers in  the  gloom  of  her  forests  vestiges  of  noble 
cities,  the  habitation  of  a  people  beyond  the  horizon 
of  history.  The  Dark  Continent,  shadowed  in  more 
ways  than  one,  is  the  tomb  of  a  long  past  age  of  life 
and  activity,  for  the  dust  of  all  the  Pharaohs  and  the 
pomp  and  intellectual  affluence  of  Egypt  lie  silent  at 
the  bottom  of  her  sea  of  sand. 

Imagination  calls  back  to  being  again  her  glorious 
past,  reminding  us  that  she  has  been  the  mother  of 
mighty  sons.  Once  her  ancient  northern  cities  were 
the  sanctuaries  of  learning,  and  amid  the  darkness 


2  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

shone  the  lamps  of  Divine  truth  where  Christianity, 
still  young,  inspired  its  confessors  and  saints.  Through 
the  grey  haze  of  centuries  we  seem  to  see  again  Ter- 
tullian  busy  with  his  parchments  ;  catch  a  glimpse  of 
the  white-haired  Cyprian  followed  by  a  wailing  crowd 
to  martyrdom  ;  see  Origen,  defender  of  the  faith  ; 
Athanasius,  his  face  against  the  world  ;  and  Augustine, 
with  eyes  full  of  heartbreak  :  truly  a  vision  of  wonder- 
ful memories.  Then  the  shadows  creep  up  again  and 
thicken,  for  days  of  wild  declension  came  when  the 
glory  of  that  early  Church  gave  place  to  darkness,  her 
lights  blurred  with  heresy  and  in  blood  outblown. 

At  first  sight  there  seems  a  wide  historical  distance 
between  the  days  of  those  primitive  fathers  and  the 
African  Church  of  our  time,  a  far  cry  from  Carthage 
to  Calabar,  for  we  often  fail  to  realize  that  those  great 
councils  of  the  early  centuries  were  crowded  with 
African  bishops,  representing  hundreds  of  native 
churches  in  the  country  northward.  This  fact  estab- 
lishes some  link  of  association  between  those  great 
ecclesiastics  of  old  and  the  black  prelate  whose  re- 
markable history  these  pages  will  endeavour  to  record. 

While  Africa  has  her  history  her  children  can  boast 
of  a  lineage,  and  find  no  httle  gratification  in  tracing 
the  branches  of  their  genealogical  tree.  The  negro  can, 
of  course,  claim  no  title  of  centuries,  and  is  destitute 
of  those  legal  muniments  which  attest  the  ancestry  of 
the  white  man.  Tradition  is  good  enough  for  him,  and 
he  is  satisfied  that  sometimes  his  short  line  of  "  for- 
bears "  not  only  mingles  with  royal  blood,  but  skirts 
relationship  with  distant  deities.    We  may  not  be  pre- 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  3 

pared  to  take  their  evidence  too  seriously,  but  the 
family  records  wliich  trace  the  descent  and  parentage 
of  Bishop  Crowther  deserve  a  brief  mention  here. 

He  was  by  birth  a  pure  Yoruba  of  the  great 
Yoruba  kingdom,  which,  according  to  the  arokin,  or 
chronicles,  was  at  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century 
ruled  by  Ajabo,  a  powerful  monarch,  succeeded  in 
1770,  or  possibly  later,  by  a  famous  King  Abiodun, 
who  by  the  family  tree  is  shown  to  be  the  maternal 
great-great-grandfather  of  the  Bishop.  Tradition  as- 
cribes many  virtues  to  this  potentate,  whose  name 
simply  signifies  "  a  child  bom  during  an  annual 
festivity."  His  daughter  Osu  became  the  mother  of 
Olaminigbin,  the  modest  meaning  of  which  is  "  all  my 
joys,  honour,  and  glory  are  laid  low,"  who  in  turn 
became  the  husband  of  Omo-oga-Egun  and  the  father 
of  Ibisomi-T'-Elerin-masa,  the  mother  of  the  subject 
of  this  biography.  She  also  possessed,  however,  a 
special  dignity,  being  known  among  her  people  as 
Afala,  signifying  the  princess  or  priestess  of  the  great 
god  Obatala,  or  "  Lord  of  the  White  Cloth,"  whose 
province  was  to  bring  order  and  beauty  out  of  chaos, 
his  supposed  habitation  being  a  sphere  of  absolute  and 
dazzHng  purity.  The  distinctive  honour  of  Afala  was 
that  she  was  responsible  to  keep  pure  and  clean  the 
snowy  raiment  and  unblemished  curtains  of  this  deity. 
Leaving  these  high  latitudes  of  myth  and  mystery,  it 
may  be  noted,  in  passing,  that  in  African  ancestry  the 
maternal  side  has  always  a  special  importance  and 
value. 

On  his  father's  side  the  Bishop  belonged  to  the  clan 


4  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

"  Edii,"  and  his  grandfather  was  the  Bale  or  Duke  of 
Awaiye-petii,  who  had  migrated  into  the  Yoruba 
country  from  Ketu.  He  appears  to  have  been  a  man 
of  great  wealth,  amassed  by  the  trade  of  weaving  a 
peculiar  fabric,  specially  designed  for  the  use  of  the 
King  of  Erin,  and  this  "  aso  elerin "  became  the 
recognized  production  of  the  family  looms. 

It  only  remains  to  add  a  word  as  to  the  origin  of 
his  birthplace.  Some  of  his  ancestors,  the  ancient 
princes  of  Oyo-Ile,  founded  a  colony  to  which  they 
gave  the  name  Iba-Agbakin,  that  is  to  say,  "  to  pull 
through  the  course  of  life  and  keep  on  peaceful  terms 
with  the  world  one  needs  to  be  very  careful."  Not- 
withstanding this  sapient  title,  rivalries  broke  out, 
and  in  due  time  another  settlement  was  established 
and  called  Oshogun,  literally  "  It  is  not  Uke  medicine," 
the  native  explanation  of  which  is  that  "  wisdom  being 
the  gift  of  the  gods,  unlike  medicine,  is  freely  imparted 
from  man  to  man."  In  Africa,  it  must  be  remembered, 
the  names  of  persons  and  places  have  distinctive 
meanings. 

It  was  in  this  little  town,  at  a  date  which  cannot  be 
precisely  determined,  but  was  probably  in  the  year 
1806,  the  little  black  boy  was  born  who  was  destined 
to  a  career  of  conspicuous  honour  and  usefulness, 
certainly  the  most  remarkable  representative  of  his 
race  in  modern  times.  The  name  Adjai,  which  his 
parents  gave  him,  was  a  significant  title  or  proper 
name,  only  given  to  a  child  born  with  his  face  to  the 
ground,  a  natal  peculiarity  very  rare,  and  considered 
by  the  natives  of  the  West  Coast  of  Africa  to  forecast 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  5 

a  remarkable  future.  Because  of  this,  his  parents, 
according  to  Yoruba  custom,  made  their  little  boy  a 
present  of  some  white  fowls  and  were,  moreover,  per- 
plexed to  know  to  which  of  the  four  hundred  tribal 
gods  he  should  be  dedicated.  They  therefore  repaired 
to  the  shrine  of  Ifa,  the  god  of  divination,  whose  priest, 
called  haha  lawo,  i.e.  "  father  who  has  a  secret,"  was 
always  ready,  for  a  consideration,  to  inquire  of  the 
oracle  on  behalf  of  the  troubled  and  fearful  of  the 
people.  In  some  cases  a  whitened  board  was  em- 
ployed, similar  to  those  used  as  slates  in  Moslem 
schools,  upon  which  strange  figures  were  drawn  and 
from  which  still  stranger  calculations  were  made.  Or 
the  priest  would  simply  produce  the  carved  wooden 
Ifa  bowl,  in  which  thirty  spHt  palm  nuts  were  shuffled 
and  the  decision  of  the  god  announced  after  counting 
the  whites  and  the  browns.  In  this  particular  case 
the  oracle  certainly  gave  remarkable  counsel  as  regards 
little  Adjai.  The  priest  declared  that  on  no  account 
was  the  child  to  be  a  devotee  of  any  idol  worship,  for 
he  was  destined  to  be  an  Aluja,  that  is,  one  celebrated 
and  distinguished,  to  serve  the  great  and  highest  God 
and  no  idol  whatever.  By  this  he  implied  the  principal 
deity,  spoken  of  as  Olorun,  the  maker  of  heaven  and 
earth,  the  great  sky  god,  a  sort  of  deified  firmament. 
It  is  still  usual  on  the  Niger,  in  answer  to  the  customary 
salutation,  "  Have  you  risen  well  ?  "  to  answer,  "  A 
yin  Olorun,"  i.e.  "  thanks  to  Olorun." 

His  parents,  however,  were  mightily  disappointed 
by  this  flattering  prophecy,  for  Olorun  was  specially 
honoured   by  the   Mohammedan   Foulahs,   who   also 


6  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

were  the  bitter  enemies  of  the  Yorubas.  They  seem 
to  have  paid  the  consultation  fee  of  two  or  three  heads 
of  cowries,  equal  to  one  shilling  and  threepence  of 
English  money,  and  bade  the  priest  an  abrupt  and 
dissatisfied  good-bye.  On  their  homeward  way  they 
mused  in  silence  upon  what  they  had  heard,  and  in- 
wardly resolved  to  carefully  watch  the  tendencies  of 
the  growing  mind  of  this  little  boy  of  theirs,  who,  all 
unconscious  of  his  importance  in  the  world,  skipped 
along  between  them. 

Adjai's  father  continued  the  family  trade  of  weaving, 
and  was,  in  a  way,  a  well-to-do  and  prosperous  man, 
owning  a  little  property  some  seven  miles  from  the 
town  ;  he  was  also  one  of  the  headmen  or  councillors, 
and  in  consequence  of  these  responsibilities  handed 
over  his  farm  very  much  to  the  care  of  his  elder  son, 
Bola  by  name.  Meanwhile  Adjai  grew  apace,  and 
became  quite  a  successful  breeder  of  poultry,  finding 
a  market  for  his  fowls  and  becoming  passing  rich  in 
the  possession  of  a  head  of  cowrie  shells  worth  six- 
pence. He  was  still  only  a  little  boy,  and  at  the  age 
of  eight  years  had  secured  for  himself  a  piece  of  land 
near  his  father's  farm,  and  after  a  period  of  training 
under  his  brother  Bola,  Adjai  became  quite  clever  in 
the  cultivation  of  yams,  the  staple  food  of  the  people. 
Morning  and  evening  the  youthful  gardener  trudged 
seven  miles  to  his  work,  cheering  himself  with  one  of 
the  proverbs  of  his  country,  inculcating  habits  of 
industry — "  When  the  day  dawTis  every  trader  to  his 
trade;  the  spinner  takes  his  spindle,  the  warrior  his 
shield,  the  weaver  stoops  to  his  batten  [shuttle],  the 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  7 

farmer  arises  with  his  hoe,  and  the  warrior  takes  his 
bow  and  arrow,"  in  other  words,  no  one  is  idle. 
It  was  the  custom  for  the  boys  and  youths  of  Oshogun 
to  form  themselves  into  little  clubs  to  help  each  other 
in  their  small  farms  in  case  of  need.  Of  such  a  club 
Adjai  was  made  captain  and  president,  and  its  forty 
members  doubtless  recognized  in  the  boy  with  the 
auspicious  name  one  who  was  going  to  make  his  way 
in  the  world. 

In  these  memories  of  very  early  days  we  have 
another  incident  which  shows  the  courage  of  the  boy 
and  his  respect  for  the  religion  of  his  parents.  The 
household  gods  of  the  Yorubas  are  many,  and  on  one 
occasion  the  house  caught  fire  and  the  father,  having 
called  his  family  from  their  perilous  position,  cried  out, 
"  O  my  gods,  my  gods  !  They  are  in  the  house  and 
wiU  be  burned."  Adjai  promptly  rushed  through  the 
flaming  doorway  and  brought  all  the  idols  back  in 
safety,  amid  the  cheers  of  the  neighbours,  who  cried 
out,  "  This  child  will  be  a  great  worshipper  of  the  gods  ; 
he  will  one  day  restore  the  gods  to  our  nation  !  " 

A  new  home  was,  however,  soon  established  ;  the 
family,  gods  and  all,  resumed  their  old  places,  and 
Adjai,  now  about  thirteen  years  of  age,  was  again 
busy  with  his  poultry  and  his  yams.  Whether  in  those 
days  of  his  boyhood  he  ever  dreamed  dreams  of  the 
future,  or  like  Joseph  of  old  had  intimations  of  being 
a  spiritual  ruler  in  a  greater  kingdom  than  Egypt  ever 
knew,  we  cannot  discover.  But  to  a  youth  of  such 
alert  mind,  already  taking  precedence  among  his 
fellows,  the  talk  of  his  parents  and  neighbours  would 


8  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

scarcely  fall  upon  inattentive  ears.  From  the  accident 
of  his  birth  being  under  special  circumstances  he  had 
acquired  the  name  of  "  the  lucky  one  "  ;  possibly  his 
scrupulous  observance  of  religious  rites  would  also  en- 
hance his  reputation  as  one  blessed  by  the  gods.  This 
much,  however,  is  certain  to  us :  in  the  light  of  that  long 
and  noble  life,  beneath  that  thatched  roof  under  the 
bombax  and  palm  trees  of  Oshogun,  a  new  era  for  the 
African  race  was  being  born.  The  spring  of  this  young 
life,  which  was  bubbling  up  amid  the  simple  surround- 
ings of  this  Yoruba  town,  was  on  the  eve  of  a  new 
impulse,  a  catastrophe  which,  like  a  fallen  rock,  should 
obliterate  its  peaceful  meanderings  and  force  it  into 
new  and  tumultuous  courses.  To  some  lives  the  part- 
ing of  the  ways  is  reached  much  later  on  ;  it  was  given 
to  this  boy  to  suffer  in  his  springtide,  and  to  drink  the 
cup  of  sorrow  in  a  darkness  which  seemed  to  eclipse 
all  his  radiant  morn.  But  he  lived  to  see  the  silver 
lining  of  the  cloud  and  to  find,  as  we  all  must  do,  that 
God's  ways  are  best,  and  not  less  so  because  in  the 
time  of  trial  our  eyes  are  holden.  In  the  breaking  of 
the  day,  as  in  the  breaking  of  the  bread,  we  cry,  "  It 
is  the  Lord,"  and  are  satisfied. 

A  few  years  later,  when  the  storm  was  over  and  gone, 

God  smiled  back  from  the  retreating  cloud 

Crowther  sat  down  in  the  college  room  and  wrote  in 
a  long  letter  the  story  of  this  experience  which  changed 
the  current  of  his  life,  a  precious  scrap  of  autobio- 
graphy. To  his  present  biographer  the  story  has  a 
deep   and   tender   interest,   not   only   as   a   fragment 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  9 

written  by  a  hand  that  can  be  clasped  no  more,  but 
as  recalHng  many  sweet  seasons  of  personal  inter- 
course, when  in  that  little  upper  room  at  Salisbury 
Square  the  venerable  Bishop  recounted  those  early 
griefs.  His  wonderfully  expressive  face  all  alight  with 
emotion,  the  bright,  searching  eyes  suffused  with  tears, 
ever  and  anon  the  recital  was  broken  by  fervent  thanks- 
givings to  God.  And  now,  from  his  written  and  fami- 
liar testimony,  let  him  tell  his  story  once  again. 

I  suppose  some  time  about  the  commencement  of  the  year 
1 82 1  I  was  in  my  native  country,  enjoying  the  comforts  of 
father  and  mother  and  the  affectionate  love  of  brothers  and 
sisters.  From  this  period  I  must  date  the  unhappy,  but  which 
I  am  now  taught  in  other  respects  to  call  blessed  day,  which  I 
shall  never  forget  in  my  life.  I  call  it  unhappy  day  because 
it  was  the  day  on  which  I  was  violently  turned  out  of  my 
father's  house  and  separated  from  my  relations,  and  in  which 
I  was  made  to  experience  what  is  called  "to  be  in  slavery." 
"With  regard  to  its  being  called  blessed — it  being  the  day  which 
Providence  had  marked  out  for  me  to  set  out  on  my  journey 
from  the  land  of  heathenism,  superstition,  and  vice  to  a  place 
where  His  Gospel  is  preached. 

For  some  years  war  had  been  carried  on  in  my  Ey6  coun- 
try, which  was  always  attended  with  much  devastation  and 
bloodshed,  the  women,  such  men  as  had  surrendered  or  were 
caught,  with  the  children,  were  taken  captive.  The  enemies 
who  carried  on  these  wars  were  principally  the  Ey6  Moham- 
medans, with  whom  my  country  abounds,  who  with  the 
Foulahs  and  such  foreign  slaves  as  had  escaped  from  their 
owners,  joined  together,  made  a  formidable  force  of  about 
twenty  thousand  ;  which  annoyed  the  whole  country.  They 
had  no  other  employment  but  selling  slaves  to  the  Spaniards 
and  Portuguese  on  the  coast. 

The  morning  on  which  my  town  Oshogun  shared  the  same 
fate  which  many  others  had  experienced  was  fair  and  delight- 
ful, and  most  of  the  inhabitants  were  engaged  in  their  re- 
spective occupations.  We  were  preparing  breakfast  without 
any  apprehension,  when  about  9  a.m.  a  rumour  was  spread 
in  the  town  that  the  enemies  had  approached  with  intentions 


10  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

of  hostility.  It  was  not  long  after,  when  they  had  almost 
surrounded  the  town  to  prevent  any  escape  of  the  inhabitants. 
The  town  was  rudely  fortified  by  a  wooden  fence  about  four 
miles  in  circumference,  containing  about  twelve  thousand  in- 
habitants and  producing  three  thousand  fighting  men. 

The  inhabitants  not  being  duly  prepared,  some  not  being 
at  home,  but  those  who  were  having  about  six  gates  to  defend, 
as  well  as  many  weak  places  about  the  fence  to  guard  against 
— and  to  say,  in  a  few  words,  the  men  being  surprised  and 
therefore  confounded — the  enemies  entered  the  town,  after 
about  three  or  four  hours'  resistance.  Here  the  most  sorrow- 
ful scene  imaginable  was  to  be  witnessed — women,  some  with 
three,  four,  and  six  children  clinging  to  their  arms,  with  the 
infants  on  their  backs,  running  as  fast  as  they  could  through 
prickly  shrubs,  which,  hooking  their  bUes  (baskets)  and  loads, 
threw  them  down  from  the  heads  of  the  bearers.  When  they 
found  it  impossible  to  go  with  their  loads  they  only  endea- 
voured to  save  themselves  and  their  children.  Even  this  was 
impracticable  with  those  who  had  many  children  to  care  for, 
as  while  they  were  endeavouring  to  disentangle  themselves 
from  the  ropy  shrubs  they  were  overtaken  and  caught  by  the 
enemies,  by  a  rope  noose  thrown  over  the  neck  of  every 
individual,  to  be  led  in  the  manner  of  goats  tied  together, 
under  the  drove  of  one  man.  In  many  cases  a  family  was 
violently  divided  between  three  or  four  enemies,  who  each  led 
his  away  to  see  each  other  no  more. 

I  was  thus  caught  with  my  mother,  two  sisters,  one  infant 
about  ten  weeks  old,  and  a  cousin,  while  endeavouring  to 
escape  in  the  manner  described.  My  load  consisted  of  nothing 
else  than  my  bow  and  five  arrows  in  the  quiver  ;  the  bow  I 
had  lost  in  the  shrub  while  I  was  extricating  myself,  before 
I  could  think  of  making  any  use  of  it  against  my  enemies. 
The  last  time  I  saw  my  father  was  when  he  came  from  the 
fight  to  give  us  the  signal  to  flee  ;  he  entered  into  our  house, 
which  was  burnt  some  time  back  for  some  offence  given  by 
my  father's  adopted  son — hence  I  never  saw  him  more.  Here 
I  must  take  thy  leave,  unhappy,  comfortless  father  !  I  learned 
sometime  afterwards  that  he  was  killed  in  another  battle. 

Our  conquerors  were  Ey6  Mohammedans,  who  led  us  away 
through  the  town.  On  our  way  we  met  a  man  sadly  wounded 
in  the  head,  struggling  between  life  and  death.  Before  we 
got  half-way  through  the  town  some  Foulahs  among  the 
enemies  themselves  hastily  separated  my  cousin  from  our 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  ii 

number.  Here  also  I  must  take  thy  leave,  my  fellow-captive 
cousin  !  His  mother  was  living  in  another  village.  The 
houses  in  the  town  on  fire  were  built  with  wood,  about  twelve 
feet  from  the  ground,  with  high  roofs  in  square  forms  of 
different  dimensions  and  spacious  areas.  Several  of  these 
belonged  to  one  man,  adjoining  to  with  passages  communi- 
cating with  each  other.  The  flames  were  very  high  ;  we  were 
led  by  my  grandfather's  house,  already  desolate,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  afterwards  we  left  the  town  to  the  mercy  of  the  flames, 
never  to  enter  or  see  it  any  more.  Farewell,  the  place  of  my 
birth,  the  playground  of  my  childhood,  and  the  place  which 
I  thought  would  be  the  repository  of  my  mortal  body  in  its 
old  age  ! 

We  were  now  out  of  Oshogun,  going  into  a  town  called 
Neh'i,  the  rendezvous  of  the  enemies,  about  twenty  miles 
from  our  town.  On  the  way  we  saw  our  grandmother  at  a 
distance,  with  about  three  or  four  of  my  other  cousins  taken 
with  her,  for  a  few  minutes  ;  she  was  missed  through  the 
crowd  to  see  her  no  more.  Several  other  captives  were  held 
in  the  same  manner  as  we  were — grandmothers,  mothers, 
children  and  cousins  were  all  taken  captives.  O  sorrowful 
prospect !  The  aged  women  were  greatly  to  be  pitied,  not 
being  able  to  walk  so  fast  as  their  children  and  grandchildren  ; 
they  were  often  threatened  with  being  put  to  death  upon  the 
spot,  to  get  rid  of  them,  if  they  would  not  go  as  fast  as  others, 
and  they  were  often  as  wicked  in  their  practice  as  in  their 
words.  O  pitiful  sight !  Wliose  heart  would  not  bleed  to  have 
seen  this  ?  Yes,  such  is  the  state  of  barbarity  in  the  heathen 
land! 

Evening  came  on,  and  coming  to  a  spring  of  water  we 
drank  a  great  quantity,  which  served  us  for  breakfast,  with 
a  little  parched  corn  and  dried  meat,  previously  prepared  by 
our  victors  for  themselves.  During  our  march  to  Iseh'i  we 
passed  several  towns  and  villages  which  had  been  reduced  to 
ashes.  It  was  almost  midnight  before  we  reached  the  town, 
where  we  passed  our  doleful  first  night  in  bondage.  It  was 
not,  perhaps,  a  mile  from  the  wall  of  Iseh'i  where  an  old 
woman  of  about  sixty  was  threatened  in  the  manner  above 
described.    What  became  of  her  I  could  not  learn. 

The  next  morning,  our  cords  being  taken  off  our  necks, 
we  were  brought  to  the  chief  of  our  captors — for  there  were 
many  other  chiefs — as  trophies  at  his  feet.  In  a  little  while  a 
separation  took  place,  when  my  sister  and  I  fell  to  the  share 


12  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

of  the  chief,  and  my  mother  and  the  infant  to  the  victors. 
We  dared  not  vent  our  grief  in  loud  cries,  but  by  very  heavy 
sobs.  My  mother,  with  the  infant,  was  led  away,  comforted 
with  the  promise  that  she  should  see  us  again  when  we  should 
leave  Iseh'i  for  Dahdah,  the  town  of  the  chief.  In  a  few 
hours  after  it  was  soon  agreed  upon  that  I  should  be  bartered 
for  a  horse  in  Iseh'i  that  very  day.  Thus  was  I  separated 
from  my  mother  and  sister  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  and 
the  latter  not  to  be  seen  more  in  this  world.  Thus  in  the 
space  of  twenty-four  hours,  being  deprived  of  liberty  and  all 
other  comforts,  I  was  made  the  property  of  three  different 
persons.  About  the  space  of  two  months,  when  the  chief  was 
to  leave  Iseh'i  for  his  own  town,  the  horse  which  was  then 
only  taken  on  trial,  not  being  approved  of,  I  was  restored  to 
the  chief,  who  took  me  to  Dahdah,  where  I  had  the  happiness 
of  meeting  my  mother  and  infant  sister  again,  with  joy  which 
could  be  described  by  nothing  else  but  tears  of  love  and 
affection,  and  on  the  part  of  my  infant  sister  with  leaps  of  joy. 
Here  I  lived  for  three  months,  going  for  grass  for  the 
horses  with  my  fellow-captives.  I  now  and  then  \dsited  my 
mother  and  sister  in  our  captor's  house  without  any  fears  or 
thoughts  of  being  separated  any  more.  My  mother  told  me 
she  had  heard  of  my  sister,  but  I  never  saw  her  any  more. 
At  last,  one  unhappy  evening  arrived  when  I  was  sent  with 
a  man  to  get  some  money  at  a  neighbouring  house.  I  went, 
but  with  some  fears  for  which  I  could  not  account,  and  to 
my  great  astonishment  in  a  few  minutes  I  was  added  to  the 
number  of  many  other  captives,  fettered,  to  be  led  to  the 
market  town  early  next  morning.  My  sleep  went  from  me. 
I  spent  almost  the  whole  night  in  thinking  of  my  doleful 
situation  with  tears  and  sobs,  especially  as  my  mother  was  in 
the  same  town,  whom  I  had  not  visited  for  about  a  day  or 
two  back.  There  was  another  boy  in  the  same  situation  with 
me  ;  his  mother  was  in  Dahdah.  Being  sleepless,  I  heard  the 
first  cockcrow,  and  scarcely  was  the  signal  given  when  the 
traders  arose,  loaded  the  men  slaves  with  baggage,  and  with 
one  hand  chained  to  the  neck  we  left  the  town.  My  httle 
companion  in  affliction  cried  and  begged  much  to  be  per- 
mitted to  see  his  mother,  but  was  soon  silenced  by  punish- 
ment. Seeing  this,  I  dared  not  speak,  although  I  thought  we 
passed  by  the  very  house  my  mother  was  in.  Thus  was  I 
separated  from  my  mother  and  sister,  my  then  only  com- 
forts, to  meet  no  more  in  this  world  of  misery.     After  a  few 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  13 

days'  travel  we  came  to  the  market  town  of  Ijahi.  Here  I 
saw  many  who  had  escaped  from  our  town  to  this  place,  or 
who  were  in  search  of  their  relations,  to  set  at  liberty  as  many 
as  they  had  the  means  of  redeeming.  Here  we  were  under 
very  close  inspection,  as  there  were  many  persons  in  search 
of  their  relations,  and  through  that  many  had  escaped  from 
their  owners.  In  a  few  days  I  was  sold  to  a  Mohammedan 
woman,  with  whom  I  travelled  many  towns  on  our  way  to 
the  Poh-poh  country  on  the  coast,  much  resorted  to  by  the 
Portuguese  to  buy  slaves.  Wlien  we  left  Ijahi,  after  many 
halts,  we  came  to  a  town  called  Toko.  From  Ijahi  to  Toko  all 
spoke  Ebweh  dialect,  but  my  mistress  Ey6,  my  own  dialect. 
Here  I  was  a  perfect  stranger,  having  left  the  Ey6  country 
far  behind. 

I  lived  in  Toko  about  three  months,  walked  about  and 
with  my  owner's  son  with  some  degree  of  freedom,  it  being  a 
place  where  my  feet  had  never  trod  ;  and  could  I  possibly 
make  my  way  out  through  many  a  ruinous  town  and  village 
we  had  passed  I  should  have  soon  become  a  prey  to  some 
others,  who  would  gladly  have  taken  advantage  of  me.  Be- 
sides, I  could  not  think  of  going  a  mile  out  of  the  town  alone 
at  night,  as  there  were  many  enormous  devil  houses  along  the 
highway,  and  a  woman  having  been  lately  publicly  executed 
— fired  at — being  accused  of  bewitching  her  husband,  who  had 
died  of  a  long,  tedious  sickness.  Five  or  six  heads  of  persons 
who  had  been  executed  for  some  crime  or  other  were  never 
wanting  to  be  nailed  on  the  large  trees  in  the  market  places 
to  terrify  others.  Now  and  then  my  mistress  would  speak 
with  me  and  her  son  that  we  should  by  and  by  go  to  the 
Poh-poh  country,  where  we  should  buy  tobacco  and  other 
fine  things  to  sell  at  our  return.  Now,  thought  I,  this  was  the 
signal  of  my  being  sold  to  the  Portuguese,  who,  they  often 
told  me  during  our  journey,  were  to  be  seen  in  that  country. 
Being  very  thoughtful  of  this,  my  appetite  forsook  me,  and 
in  a  few  weeks  I  got  the  dysentery,  which  preyed  on  me.  I 
determined  with  myself  that  I  would  not  go  to  the  Poh-poh 
country,  but  would  make  an  end  of  myself  one  way  or  other. 
Several  nights  I  attempted  to  strangle  myself  with  my  band, 
but  had  not  courage  enough  to  close  the  noose  tight,  so  as  to 
effect  my  purpose.  May  the  Lord  forgive  me  this  sin  !  I  next 
determined  that  I  would  leap  out  of  the  canoe  into  the  river 
when  we  should  cross  it  on  our  way  to  that  country.  Thus 
was  I  thinking  when  my  owner,  perceiving  the  great  alteration 


14  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

which  had  taken  place  in  me,  sold  me  to  some  persons.  Thus 
the  Lord,  while  I  knew  Him  not,  led  me  not  into  temptation 
and  delivered  me  from  the  evil.  After  my  price  had  been 
counted  before  my  eyes,  I  was  delivered  up  to  my  new  owners 
with  great  grief  and  dejection  of  spirit,  not  knowing  where  I 
was  now  to  be  led. 

About  the  first  cockcrowing,  which  was  the  usual  time  to 
set  out  with  slaves  to  prevent  their  being  much  acquainted 
with  the  way,  for  fear  an  escape  should  be  made,  we  set  out 
for  Elabbo,  the  third  dialect  from  mine.  After  having  arrived 
at  Ik-ke-ku  ye-re,  another  town,  we  halted.  In  this  place  I 
renewed  my  attempt  at  strangling  several  times  at  night,  but 
could  not  effect  my  purpose.  It  was  very  singular  that  no 
thought  of  making  use  of  a  knife  ever  entered  my  mind. 
However,  it  was  not  long  before  I  was  bartered  for  tobacco, 
rum,  and  other  articles.  I  remained  here  in  fetters  alone  for 
some  time  before  my  owner  could  get  as  many  slaves  as  he 
wanted.  He  feigned  to  treat  us  more  civilly  by  allowing  us 
to  sip  a  few  drops  of  white  man's  liquor,  rum,  which  was  so 
estimable  an  article  that  none  but  chiefs  could  pay  for  a  jar 
or  glass  vessel  of  four  or  five  gallons.  So  remarkable  it  was 
that  no  one  should  take  breath  before  he  swallowed  every  sip 
for  fear  of  having  the  string  of  his  throat  cut  by  the  spirit  of 
the  liquor  :    this  made  it  so  much  more  valuable. 

I  had  to  remain  alone  again  in  another  town  in  Jabbo,  the 
name  of  which  I  do  not  now  remember,  for  about  two  months. 
From  hence  I  was  brought,  after  a  two  days'  walk,  to  a  slave 
market  called  I'-ko-sy,  on  the  coast,  on  the  bank  of  a  large 
river,  which  very  probably  was  the  Lagos  on  which  we  were 
afterwards  captured.  The  sight  of  the  river  terrified  me  ex- 
ceedingly, for  I  had  never  seen  anything  like  it  in  my  life. 
The  people  on  the  opposite  bank  are  called  E'-ko.  Before 
sunset,  being  bartered  again  for  tobacco,  I  became  another 
man's.  Nothing  now  terrified  me  more  than  the  river  and 
the  thought  of  going  into  another  world.  Crying  now  was 
nothing  to  vent  my  sorrow.  My  whole  body  became  stiff. 
I  was  now  bade  to  enter  the  river  to  ford  it  in  the  canoe. 
Being  fearful  of  my  entering  this  extensive  water,  and  being 
so  cautious  in  every  step  I  took,  as  if  the  next  would  bring 
me  to  the  bottom,  my  motion  was  very  awkward  indeed. 
Night  coming  on,  and  the  men  having  very  little  time  to 
spare,  soon  carried  me  into  the  canoe  and  placed  me  amongst 
the  cornbags,  supplying  me  with  an  Abdlah  (a  cake  of  Indian 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  15 

corn)  for  my  dinner.  Almost  in  the  same  position  I  was 
placed  I  remained  with  the  Abdlah  in  my  hand,  quite  confused 
in  my  thoughts,  waiting  only  every  moment  our  arrival  at  the 
new  world,  which  we  did  not  reach  till  about  four  in  the 
morning.  Here  I  got  once  more  into  another  district,  the 
fourth  from  mine,  if  I  may  not  call  it  altogether  another 
language,  on  account  of  now  and  then,  in  some  words,  there 
being  a  faint  shadow  of  my  own. 

Here  I  must  remark  that  during  the  whole  night's  voyage 
in  the  canoe  not  a  single  thought  of  leaping  into  the  river 
entered  my  mind,  but,  on  the  contrary,  the  face  of  the  river 
occupied  my  thoughts.  Having  now  entered  E'ko,  I  was  per- 
mitted to  go  any  way  I  pleased,  there  being  no  way  of  escape 
on  account  of  the  river. 

In  this  place  I  met  my  two  nephews,  belonging  to  different 
masters.  One  part  of  the  town  was  occupied  by  the  Portu- 
guese or  Spaniards,  who  had  come  to  buy  slaves.  Although 
I  was  in  E'ko  more  than  three  months  I  never  once  saw  a 
white  man  until  one  evening  when  they  took  a  walk  in  com- 
pany with  about  six  and  came  to  the  street  of  the  house  in 
which  I  was  living.  Even  then  I  had  not  the  boldness  to 
appear  distinctly  to  look  at  them,  being  always  suspicious 
that  they  had  come  for  me,  and  my  suspicion  was  not  a  fancied 
one,  for  in  a  few  days  after  I  was  made  the  eighth  in  number 
of  the  slaves  of  the  Portuguese.  Being  a  veteran  in  slavery — 
if  I  may  be  allowed  the  expression — and  having  no  more  hope 
of  ever  going  to  my  country  again,  I  patiently  took  whatever 
came,  although  it  was  not  without  a  great  fear  and  trembling 
that  I  received  for  the  first  time  the  touch  of  a  white  man, 
who  examined  me  whether  I  was  sound  or  not.  Men  and  boys 
were  at  first  chained  together  with  a  chain  of  about  six  fathoms 
in  length,  thrust  through  an  iron  fetter  on  the  neck  of  each 
individual  and  fastened  at  both  ends  with  padlocks.  In  this 
situation  the  boys  suffered  the  most.  The  men,  sometimes 
getting  angry,  would  draw  the  chain  most  violently,  as  seldom 
went  without  bruises  on  our  poor  little  necks,  especially  the 
time  of  sleep,  when  they  drew  the  chain  so  close  to  ease  them- 
selves of  its  weight,  in  order  to  be  able  to  lie  more  conveniently, 
that  we  were  almost  suffocated  or  bruised  to  death,  in  a  room 
with  one  door  which  was  fastened  as  soon  as  we  entered,  with 
no  other  passage  for  communicating  the  air  than  the  openings 
under  the  eaves  drop.  And  very  often  at  night,  when  two  or 
three    individuals    quarrelled    or    fought,    the    whole    drove 


i6  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

sufFered  punishment  without  distinction.  At  last  we  boys 
had  the  happiness  to  be  separated  from  the  men,  when  their 
number  was  increased  and  no  more  chain  to  spare,  we  were 
corded  together  by  ourselves.  Thus  were  we  going  in  and  out, 
bathing  together  and  so  on.  The  females  fared  not  much 
better.     Thus  we  were  for  nearly  four  months. 

About  this  time  intelligence  was  given  that  the  English 
were  cruising  on  the  coast.  This  was  another  subject  of  sorrow 
to  us — that  there  must  be  wars  on  the  sea  as  well  as  on  the 
land — a  thing  never  heard  of  before  nor  imagined  practicable. 
This  delayed  our  embarkation.  In  the  meantime  the  other 
troop,  which  was  collected  in  Poh-poh  and  was  intended  to 
be  conveyed  into  the  vessel  the  nearest  way  from  that  place, 
was  brought  into  E'ko  among  us.  Among  the  number  was 
Joseph  Bartholomew,  my  brother  in  the  service  of  the  Church 
Missionary  Society.  After  a  few  weeks'  delay  we  were  em- 
barked at  night  in  canoes  from  E'ko  to  the  beach,  and  on  the 
following  morning  we  embarked  on  the  vessel  (a  Portuguese 
ship  called  the  Esperanza  Felix),  which  immediately  sailed 
away.  The  crew  being  busy  in  embarking  us,  one  hundred 
and  eighty-seven  in  number,  had  no  time  to  give  us  either 
breakfast  or  supper,  and  we,  being  unaccustomed  to  the 
motion  of  the  vessel,  sufiered  the  whole  of  the  day  with  sea- 
sickness, which  rendered  the  greater  part  of  us  less  fit  to  take 
any  food  whatever.  On  the  very  same  evening  we  were  sur- 
prised by  two  English  men-of-war,  and  the  next  morning 
found  ourselves  in  the  hands  of  war  conquerors,  whom  we  at 
first  very  much  dreaded,  they  being  armed  with  long  swords. 
In  the  morning,  being  called  up  from  the  hold,  we  were 
astonished  to  find  ourselves  among  two  very  large  men-of-war 
and  several  brigs.  The  men-of-war  were  His  Majesty's  ships 
Myrmidon,  Captain  H.  G.  Leeke,  and  Iphigenia,  Captain  Sir 
Robert  Mends,  who  captured  us  on  7  April,  1822,  on  the 
river  Lagos.  Our  owner  was  bound,  with  his  sailors,  except 
the  cook,  who  was  preparing  our  breakfast.  Hunger  rendered 
us  bold,  and  not  being  threatened  at  first  attempts  to  get 
some  fruit  from  the  stern,  we  in  a  short  time  took  the  liberty 
of  ranging  about  the  vessel  in  search  of  plunder  of  every  kind. 
Now  we  began  to  entertain  a  poor  opinion  of  our  new  con- 
querors. Very  soon  after  breakfast  we  were  divided  into 
several  of  the  vessels  around  us.  This  was  cause  of  new  fears, 
not  knowing  where  our  misery  would  end.  Being  now,  as  it 
were,  one  family,  we  began  to  take  leave  of  those  who  were 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  17 

first  transported  into  the  other  vessels,  not  knowing  what 
would  become  of  them  and  ourselves.  About  this  time  we 
six  intimate  friends  in  affliction — among  whom  was  my  brother 
Joseph  Bartholomew — kept  very  close  together  that  we  might 
be  carried  away  at  the  same  time.  It  was  not  long  before  we 
six  were  conveyed  into  the  Myrmidon,  in  which  we  discovered 
no  trace  of  those  who  were  transported  before  us.  We  soon 
concluded  what  had  become  of  them  when  we  saw  part  of  a 
hog  hanging,  the  skin  of  which  was  white — a  thing  we  never 
saw  before,  as  a  hog  was  always  roasted  on  fire  to  clear  it  of 
the  hair  in  my  country — and  a  number  of  common  shots 
ranged  along  the  deck.  The  former  we  supposed  to  be  the 
flesh  and  the  latter  the  heads  of  the  individuals  who  had  been 
killed  for  meat.  But  we  were  soon  undeceived  by  a  close 
examination  of  the  flesh,  with  cloven  feet,  which  resembled 
those  of  a  hog,  and  by  a  cautious  approach  to  the  shots  that 
they  were  iron.  In  a  few  days  we  were  quite  at  home  on  the 
man-of-war  ;  being  only  six  in  number,  we  were  soon  selected 
by  the  sailors  for  their  boys,  and  were  soon  furnished  with 
dress.  Our  Portuguese  owner  and  his  son  were  brought  over 
in  the  same  vessel,  bound  in  fetters,  and  I,  thinking  I  should 
no  more  get  into  his  hands,  had  the  boldness  to  strike  him  on 
the  head  while  he  was  standing  by  his  son — an  act,  however, 
very  wicked  and  unkind  in  its  nature. 

The  youthful  Adjai  spent  two  months  and  a  half 
on  board  while  the  man-of-war  continued  her  cruise 
for  slaves,  and  had  time  enough  to  get  accustomed  to 
his  new  friends  ;  indeed,  it  is  said  that  he  became  a 
great  favourite  with  the  sailors  as  a  lad  of  exceptional 
quickness  and  intelligence.  At  length  they  reached 
Sierra  Leone,  and  he  has  made  a  note  that  on  17  June, 
1822,  he  set  foot  again  on  African  soil,  this  time  as  a 
little  Uberated  slave.  With  others  he  was  sent  to  a 
missionary  schoolmaster  at  Bathurst,  a  small  town  a 
few  miles  from  Freetown,  and  in  the  wise  and  loving 
care  of  Mr.  Davey  and  his  wife,  the  best  in  the  boy 
opened  as  the  flower  to  the  sun.    He  not  only  regained 


i8  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

his  health  and  strength,  but  received  into  his  heart 
those  deeper  sources  of  divine  grace  which  were  to  fit 
him  for  his  future  destiny  of  usefulness.  His  earliest 
lesson  in  the  English  alphabet  was,  however,  given 
him  by  another  native  boy  who  had  been  there  before 
him,  and  the  story  is  told  that  after  his  first  day's 
schoohng  Crowther  was  so  delighted  with  his  new 
taste  of  knowledge  that  he  ran  down  into  the  town, 
begged  a  halfpenny  from  one  of  his  countrymen,  and 
with  it  bought  for  himself  an  alphabet  card.  At  last 
the  gate  of  knowledge  was  really  open,  and  in  six 
months  from  the  day  of  his  landing  Adjai  was  able  to 
read  his  New  Testament.  Those  early  days  he  never 
could  forget,  and  was  fond  of  recalling  these  scenes 
through  a  long  vista  of  years.  How  he  would  sit  with 
his  books  in  the  evening,  a  candle  burning  in  the 
middle  of  the  table,  at  the  head  of  which  sat  the  school- 
master's worthy  wife,  and  by  his  side  another  httle 
sable  scholar  named  Asano — a  girl  of  his  own  tribe 
who  had  also  been  rescued  from  slavery,  and  of  whom 
we  shall  hear  more  later  on.  Possibly  she  also  felt  a 
little  gratified  when  Adjai  was  promoted  to  be  a 
monitor  and  earned  his  first  scholastic  income  of 
sevenpence  halfpenny  a  month  for  his  services. 

But  not  alone  was  his  mind  being  developed  by 
study — the  youth  was  also  taught  a  trade ;  and  in  the 
care  of  another  schoolmaster,  Mr.  Weeks,  he  attained 
a  knowledge  of  carpentry,  and  from  his  wife  more 
steps  of  reading.  How  httle  this  good  man  imagined, 
as  he  taught  this  boy's  black  fingers  the  use  of  plane 
and  chisel,  that  his  pupil  would  one  day  wear  the  lawn 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  19 

as  Bishop  of  the  Niger,  and  he,  in  his  turn,  would 
direct  the  see  of  Sierra  Leone  ! 

The  greatest  incident  of  his  hfe,  and  of  any  hfe, 
was  when  he  met  Jesus  Christ  and  worshipped  Him, 
saying,  "  My  Lord  and  my  God."  To  the  boy's  young 
heart  there  came  the  impulse  of  a  new  life  and  an 
undying  love  and  that  fuller  "  freedom  wherewith  He 
makes  His  people  free."  On  11  December,  1825, 
Adjai  was  baptized,  and  received  as  his  new  name 
Samuel  Adjai  Crowther,  after  a  venerable  clergyman, 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Crowther,  vicar  of  Christ  Church, 
Newgate  Street,  London,  and  one  of  the  first  com- 
mittee of  the  Church  Missionary  Society. 

At  this  point  we  can  safely  leave  him  for  the  present 
and  pause  to  look  round  with  some  interest  upon  his 
environment  and  the  events  which  have  led  up  to 
this  first  page  of  a  unique  history.  With  the  following 
brief  historical  retrospect  we  shall  better  appreciate 
Crowther's  character  and  career,  not  only  as  a  rescued 
slave,  but  for  the  reason  that  when  he  landed  from 
that  man-of-war  his  feet  touched  one  of  the  noblest 
battlegrounds  of  missionary  conquest.  In  all  the 
precious  annals  of  missionary  enterprise,  rich  as  they 
are  in  brave  deeds,  there  is  nothing  more  magnificent 
than  the  costly  valour  which  fought  a  good  fight  for 
God  and  man  on  the  shores  of  Sierra  Leone. 

The  story  is  inseparably  linked  with  the  emancipa- 
tion of  the  slave.  Perhaps  it  may  be  one  of  the  penal- 
ties of  our  privileged  age  that  we  forget  so  soon, 
things  as  they  are  we  want  to  know,  as  to  how  they 
will  be  we  have  no  spirit  of  prophecy,  for  what  they 


20  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

were  we  have  ofttimes  short  memories.  How  difficult, 
for  example,  it  is  to  rekindle  that  fire  of  national 
indignation  which  a  hundred  years  ago  freed  the 
slave.  The  force  of  that  moral  impulse  cannot  be 
fairly  measured  by  the  purer  and  healthier  public 
opinion  of  our  own  day,  for  English  politics  and 
morals  were  a  mixed  quantity  at  the  dawn  of  the  last 
century.  The  cup  of  our  culpability  as  a  nation  in 
this  unrighteous  traffic  was  then  full  enough,  and  the 
sorrows  of  the  enslaved  seemed  to  be  forgotten  in 
earth  and  heaven.  But  justice  was  not  left  without 
a  witness  to  prophesy  against  this  sin,  and  there  sprang 
forth  men  whose  names  are  borne  hither  on  the 
memories  of  that  strenuous  time. 

The  battle  began  when  Granville  Sharp  gave  shelter 
in  1765  to  a  suffering  slave  from  Barbados,  and  on 
the  simple  issue  of  this  man's  wrongs  won  the  famous 
dictum  of  Lord  Mansfield  that  "  as  soon  as  a  negro 
set  his  foot  on  English  soil  he  was  free."  Then  fol- 
lowed the  faithful  advocacy  of  the  equal  rights  of  man 
by  Thomas  Clarkson,  a  philanthropist  of  purest  type, 
and  William  Wilberforce,  with  persuasive  eloquence 
lit  up  with  flashes  of  kindly  wit,  took  the  lead.  The 
cause  aroused  bitter  enemies,  but  it  had  also  capable 
and  loyal  friends.  John  Wesley  and  George  Whitefield, 
the  two  great  evangelists  of  their  age,  denounced  the 
traffic  in  burning  words.  The  last  letter  Wesley  ever 
penned,  four  days  before  he  died  at  the  house  by  the 
chapel  in  City  Road,  was  addressed  to  Wilberforce, 
urging  him  to  persevere  in  his  "  glorious  enterprise." 
"  Go  on,"  he  writes,  "  in  the  name  of  God  and  in  the 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  21 

power  of  His  might  till  even  American  slavery  (the 
vilest  that  ever  saw  the  sun)  shall  vanish  away  before 
it."  It  must  not  be  forgotten,  however,  that  the 
Society  of  Friends,  lifting  through  the  darkest  hours 
of  history  always  an  unquenched  torch,  presented  the 
first  petition  to  the  House  of  Commons  praying  that 
something  might  be  done  to  ameliorate  the  shocking 
condition  of  the  slave.  By  parliamentary  speeches, 
leaflets,  and  addresses  up  and  down  the  country  the 
horrors  of  the  middle  passage,  with  its  wholesale 
waste  of  human  life,  were  made  known,  and  it  would 
seem  amazing  that  any  righteous  or  barely  honest 
man  could  have  opposed  this  merciful  plea.  But  the 
history  of  all  great  struggles  for  the  moral  emancipa- 
tion of  men  and  women  has  taught  us  sufflciently  that 
any  conflict  with  evil,  means  storming  the  ramparts  of 
self-interest  with  bloodshed,  heartbreak,  and  tears. 
Was  the  slave  trade  attacked  ?  Its  representatives 
must  be  reckoned  with.  So  they  raised  the  commer- 
cial difficulty  by  predicting  the  downfall  of  Liverpool 
trade,  that  its  honest  proprietors  would  not  submit 
to  an  act  of  confiscation  so  unconstitutional,  that  the 
public  revenue  would  suffer  beyond  recall,  and  then, 
dexterously  standing  on  another  foot,  they  hunted  up 
a  Book  they  did  not  believe  in,  and  pleaded  the  sacred 
antiquity  of  the  traffic,  and  that,  moreover,  the  slave 
was  happy  in  his  lot.  Perhaps  it  were  more  charitable 
to  human  nature  to  forbear  to  awaken  these  echoes  of 
obstruction  which  were  lost  in  the  acclamation  of 
victory  when  on  25  March,  1807,  the  Bill  for  the 
Abolition  of  the  British  Slave  Trade  became  law. 


22  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

Even  then,  however,  its  opponents  endeavoured  to 
drive  the  proverbial  carriage  and  four  horses  through 
the  provisions  of  the  statute.  The  penalties  for  slave 
trading  were  simply  pecuniary,  and  to  the  dismay  of 
Wilberforce  and  his  friends  the  traffic  went  up  by 
leaps  and  bounds,  for  it  paid  handsomely  to  square 
the  penalties.  Lord  Brougham  (then  plain  Mr.)  tried 
to  checkmate  this  by  a  further  Act  making  the  offence 
a  felony  punishable  with  imprisonment  with  hard 
labour,  but  it  was  not  until  the  Act  of  1824  was  passed, 
declaring  it  to  be  piracy  with  a  death  penalty,  that  the 
law  was  duly  respected. 

But  although  the  slave  trade  was  condemned,  the 
practice  and  system  of  slavery  had  yet  to  receive  its 
legal  death  blow,  and  Wilberforce,  now  aged  and 
weary,  passed  the  sword  to  the  younger  hand  of  Mr. 
(afterwards  Sir)  Thomas  Fowell  Buxton.  It  was  a 
glorious  succession.  The  new  leader  declared  war  by 
moving  the  historic  resolution,  "  That  the  state  of 
slavery  is  repugnant  to  the  principles  of  the  British 
Constitution  and  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  that 
it  ought  to  be  gradually  abolished  throughout  the 
British  colonies  with  as  much  expedition  as  may  be 
found  consistent  with  a  due  regard  of  the  well-being  of 
the  parties  concerned."  To  us  there  seems  a  super- 
fluous modesty  about  the  verbal  drawing  of  the  de- 
mand, but  its  opponents  gathered  its  ultimate  issue, 
and  the  eyes  of  Wilberforce  glistened  with  dehght  as 
Fowell  Buxton  declared  : 

"  The  object  at  which  we  aim  is  the  extinction  of 
slavery — nothing  less  than  the  extinction  of  slavery — 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  23 

in  nothing  less  than  the  whole  of  the  British  Do- 
minions." And  then,  replying  to  some  taunts  of 
enthusiasm,  he  exclaimed  : 

"There  are  such  enthusiasts.  I  am  one  of  them, 
and  while  we  breathe  we  will  never  abandon  the  cause 
till  that  thing,  that  chattel,  is  reinstated  in  all  the 
privileges  of  man." 

It  was  soon  seen  that  the  second  step  in  the  emanci- 
pation of  the  negro  was  to  invoke  a  bigger  and  more 
protracted  struggle  than  the  first.  The  Anti-Slavery 
Society  was  estabhshed,  and  the  term  "  Abolitionist  " 
was  at  once  an  honour  and  a  reproach.  But  after 
years  of  conflict  the  victory  was  won.  On  7  August, 
1833,  the  Bill  was  passed ;  on  i  August,  1834, 
every  slave  was  free,  and  four  years  afterwards  the 
apprenticeships  ceased  throughout  the  Colonies,  and 
slavery,  root  and  branch,  was  ended. 

And  now  from  this  glorious  event,  which  may  be 
called  the  Magna  Charta  of  the  black  man's  freedom, 
we  pass  to  a  land  called  "  the  white  man's  grave." 
While  the  friends  of  the  slave  were  struggling  for  his 
emancipation  in  1786,  thankful  when,  as  Cowper  sang. 

Slaves  cannot  breathe  in  England ;  if  their  lungs 
Receive  our  air,  that  moment  they  are  free — 
They  touch  our  country  and  their  shackles  fall, 

a  practical  difficulty  presented  itself.  What  shall  we 
do  with  these  slaves  when  free  ?  Their  altered  circum- 
stances were  soon  evidenced  by  hundreds  of  black 
beggars  on  the  streets,  and  these  naturally  flocked  to 
the  door  of  Granville  Sharp  and  their  other  friends 
for  relief  of  their  necessities.    As  a  result  of  this  a  plan 


24  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

was  arranged  with  this  ancient  title  :  "A  settlement 
to  be  made  near  Sierra  Leone  on  the  grain  coast  of 
Africa,  intended  more  particularly  for  the  service  and 
happy  establishment  of  Blacks  and  People  of  Colour, 
to  be  shipped  as  freemen  under  the  Direction  of  the 
Committee  for  Relieving  the  Black  Poor  and  under 
the  Protection  of  the  British  Government." 

In  pursuance  of  this,  a  little  fleet  of  liberated  negroes, 
with  a  fair  proportion  of  European  women  (who  might 
have  been  well  spared),  sailed  for  the  West  Coast  of 
Africa  in  April,  1787,  under  convoy  of  a  man-of-war, 
whose  commander,  on  arriving,  acquired  a  strip  of 
coast  in  the  name  of  King  George.  This,  from  the 
contour  of  its  mountains,  was  called  Sierra  Leone,  and 
identified  as  the  spot  where  the  slave-raiding  vessels 
of  Hawkins  in  the  spacious  days  of  Elizabeth  captured 
their  living  cargo.  Never  was  a  merciful  mission  so 
iU-starred  as  this  new  settlement.  Disease,  disorder, 
mutinies,  and  aggressions  of  the  natives  soon  brought 
the  place  to  early  ruin.  Later  on  a  fresh  contingent 
of  emigrants  arrived  from  Nova  Scotia,  our  black 
auxiliaries  in  the  American  War,  and  under  the  wise 
oversight  of  the  new  Sierra  Leone  Company,  Freetown 
was  built  and  a  bright  day  seemed  to  have  dawned. 
But  the  French,  masked  by  English  uniforms  and 
flying  the  Union  Jack,  invaded  the  town,  laying  all 
waste  and  carrying  off  the  trading  vessels  of  the  Com- 
pany from  the  harbour  as  spoils  of  war.  The  Governor 
was  Zachary  Macaulay,  father  of  the  historian,  and 
it  was  due  to  his  discipline  and  zeal  that  order  and 
prosperity  were  afterwards  re-estabhshed.  Sierra  Leone 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  25 

became  a  Crown  Colony,  and  from  that  date  the  men- 
of-war  cruising  in  African  waters  brought  hither  their 
captures  of  slaves.  The  pitiful  state  of  these  poor 
creatures  on  landing,  after  the  suffering  of  a  slaver's 
voyage,  may  be  imagined,  and  the  gross  superstition 
and  low  moral  sense  of  the  negro  element  of  the  Colony 
caused  much  trouble  and  uneasiness.  Under  the 
direction  of  the  newly-formed  African  Association, 
composed  of  bishops  and  philanthropists,  schools  were 
opened,  but  it  was  not  until  a  definite  introduction 
of  Christian  teaching  by  faithful  missionaries  that  the 
true  prosperity  of  Sierra  Leone  began.  What  the  law 
could  not  do  however  wisely  administered,  and  the 
spread  of  education  with  its  refining  and  humanizing 
qualities  failed  to  accomplish,  the  Cross  of  Christ  with 
its  message  of  dying  love  was  able  to  achieve.  But 
from  a  human  point  of  view  the  victory  was  dearly 
won.  The  bravest  and  the  best  came  but  to  die.  No 
sooner  had  a  missionary  reached  the  Colony  and 
started  his  work  than  he  was  stricken  with  fever,  and 
found  a  grave  in  the  land  he  came  to  bless.  The  his- 
tory of  the  heavy  toll  of  precious  lives  is  pathetic,  but 
it  is  also  inspiring.  These  early  missionaries  and  their 
not  less  heroic  wives  did  not  labour  long  enough  to 
win  a  name  in  missionary  annals,  but  they  are  surely 
counted  among  those  who  have  won  the  deathless 
crown.  They  came  to  the  field  with  hearts  beating 
high  with  faith  and  hope  ;  they  spared  not  themselves 
when  the  fever  began  to  consume  their  powers  ;  they 
pleaded  with  tears  of  love  as  they  lay  stricken  with 
fever  ;   and  when  God  drew  the  curtain,  sometimes  on 


26  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

land  and  often  on  the  sea,  the  watchers  whispered, 
"  To  die  like  this  is  gain  indeed." 

When  they  fell  others  rushed  to  fill  the  breach  ;  in 
one  year  out  of  five  missionaries  who  went  out  from 
Salisbury  Square  four  died  in  six  months  ;  two  years 
later  out  of  seven  brave  substitutes  six  died  in  four 
months  ;  during  the  first  twenty  years  of  the  work 
fifty-three  missionaries  and  their  wives  died  at  their 
post,  and  this  mortality  is  not  reckoning  the  large 
number  of  deaths  in  connection  with  the  Wesleyan 
and  other  societies. 

Not  only  was  the  climate  a  fatal  hindrance,  but 
other  difficulties  arose  ;  the  chiefs  and  headmen  of  the 
tribes  up  country  refused  to  allow  the  Gospel  to  be 
preached  ;  the  Mohammedans  were  up  in  arms,  and 
the  degradation  of  the  people  made  the  soil  very  hard 
ground  for  sowing  the  good  seed.  There  was,  however, 
hope  in  the  future  of  the  young  natives,  and  at  quite 
an  early  stage  of  the  work  it  was  said,  "  Let  us  fer- 
vently pray  that  these  children  may  become  faithful 
disciples  of  our  great  Master,  and  that  some  of  them 
may  be  raised  up  as  instruments  to  proclaim  the  glad 
tidings  of  salvation  throughout  their  native  tribes.  It 
is  this  way  we  may  expect  God  will  be  pleased  to  work 
when  His  time  is  come  for  diffusing  the  Gospel  widely 
through  the  nations,  because  it  is  in  this  way  that  He 
has  usually  effected  His  purposes  hitherto." 

The  story  of  a  remarkable  revival  among  these 
people  is  associated  with  the  name  and  work  of  the 
Rev.  William  A.  B.  Johnson,  whose  brief  ministry  in 
Sierra  Leone  is  not  unhke  that  of  Brainerd  among  the 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  27 

Red  Indians.  The  life  of  this  devoted  missionary  is 
fuU  of  the  deepest  interest ;  his  conversion  when  a 
poor  workman  at  a  London  sugar  refinery,  and  his 
subsequent  call  to  the  foreign  work,  form  the  vivid 
history  of  a  soul's  awakening.  His  early  experiences 
of  his  field  of  work  were  depressing  enough  ;  he  made 
a  note  in  his  journal :  "If  ever  I  have  seen  wretched- 
ness (on  arriving  at  Regent)  it  has  been  here  to-day  ; 
these  poor  depraved  people  are,  indeed,  the  offscouring 
of  Africa.  And  who  knows  whether  the  Lord  will  not 
make  His  converting  power  known  among  them  ? 
With  Him  nothing  is  impossible." 

With  incessant  ardour  Johnson  laboured  to  this  end, 
daily  disappointed,  but  always,  after  hours  of  wrestling 
prayer,  finding  every  morning  radiant  with  the  pro- 
mise of  the  revival  to  come.  He  felt  the  preciousness 
of  the  flying  hours.  He  notes  that  in  one  day  in  Sierra 
Leone,  in  1816,  more  persons  died  than  were  born  in 
a  whole  year  ;  and  he  thanked  God,  looking  over  his 
little  orderly  town,  so  different  now,  that  the  prophecy 
of  Isaiah  xxxv.  i,  2  was  Hterally  fulfilled.  But  it  is 
an  entry  in  his  journal  of  6  September,  1817,  which 
speaks  of  the  shower  of  blessing  having  at  last  fallen. 
He  entered  his  church. 

The  vestry,  the  gallery  stairs,  the  tower,  the  windows  were 
all  full ;  some  of  the  seats  in  the  passages  were  overweighted 
and  broken  down.  When  I  entered  the  church  and  saw  the 
multitudes  I  could  hardly  refrain  myself.  After  evening  ser- 
vice one  of  the  boys  wished  to  know  if  it  were  really  true 
Jesus  prayed  for  them.  Many  had  been  in  the  field  to  pray 
and  did  not  know  how,  I  spoke  to  them,  and  they  went  back 
with  joy.  It  was  a  moonlight  night,  and  the  mountains  re- 
echoed with  the  singing  of  hymns,  the  girls  in  one  part  praying 


28  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

and  singing  by  turns.  The  boys  had  got  upon  a  huge  rock 
with  a  hght.  One  gave  out  a  hymn,  and  when  it  was  finished 
another  engaged  in  prayer. 

At  morning  prayers,  though  it  was  raining,  with  a 
tornado  of  wind,  as  he  looked  out  the  streets  were 
crowded  with  worshipping  people,  and  crossing  over 
to  the  church  he  found  it  quite  full  again.  It  was  not 
a  condition  of  excitement  merely,  and  he  notes  how 
the  usual  emotion  of  the  race  was  suppressed,  a 
solemnity  as  of  the  very  presence  of  Jehovah  pervaded 
the  crowds.  The  next  day  Johnson  and  his  wife 
listened  to  the  children  praying  by  themselves,  and 
the  supplications  of  one  little  boy  of  ten  quite  broke 
his  heart  with  joy.  He  rushed  in  with  streaming  eyes, 
crying  with  a  thankfulness  too  big  for  words.  Falling 
on  his  knees,  he  could  only  cry  amid  sobs  of  joy  : 
"  O  my  God  and  Saviour,  what  hast  Thou  done  ? 
What  shall  I  render  to  Thee  ?  "  A  few  days  after 
Johnson  baptized  one  hundred  and  ten  adults,  the 
result  of  this  marvellous  outpouring  of  grace. 

His  missionary  zeal  urged  him  to  take  journeys  in- 
land, and  on  one  occasion  he  visited  the  Plaintains,  a 
group  of  islands  where  the  Rev.  John  Newton  had 
planted  some  lime  trees  when  wandering  there  as  a 
slave  trader  sixty-five  years  before.  Johnson  found 
one  still  existing,  and  also  discovered  an  old  book  of 
Newton's  hymns,  and  here,  in  the  language  of  the 
natives,  he  sang  the  song  of  triumph  under  the  shade 
of  the  tree. 

Any  memorial  of  this  remarkable  man  is  worthy  of 
note.     Johnson  discovered   the   very   spot   in  which 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  29 

John  Newton  in  his  captivity  and  wretchedness  used 
to  beguile  his  lonely  hours  with  the  solitary  book  in 
his  possession,  Barron's  EucUd,  tracing  diagrams  with 
his  stick  in  the  sand.  It  was,  indeed,  a  miracle  of 
mercy  which  Hfted  this  miserable  outcast,  despised  by 
the  meanest  slave,  to  become  one  of  the  most  saintly 
and  successful  preachers. 

The  breakdown  of  the  health  of  Johnson's  wife  and 
his  own  increasing  weakness  made  it  necessary  for  him 
to  take  a  furlough  to  England.  In  parting,  the  people 
crowded  the  shore  and  cried,  "  Massa,  suppose  no 
water  live  here,"  pointing  to  the  wide  sea,  "  we  go  with 
you  all  the  way  till  feet  no  more."  When  he  returned, 
Johnson  exclaimed,  "  Ah  !  who  would  not  be  a  mis- 
sionary in  Africa  ?  Had  I  ten  thousand  Uves  I  would 
willingly  offer  them  all  for  the  sake  of  one  poor  negro." 
He  found  his  work  sadly  neglected  and  that  many,  for 
want  of  tender  shepherding,  had  gone  back.  One  of 
the  native  converts  thus  expressed  the  position : 
"Suppose  somebody  beat  rice,  he  fan  it  and  all  the 
chaff  fly  away  and  the  rice  get  clean.  Now,  massa, 
we  be  in  that  fashion  since  you  gone.  God  fan  us  that 
time  for  true." 

Two  years  afterwards,  in  utterly  broken  health,  he 
again  set  sail  homewards,  but  it  proved  to  be  a  voyage 
to  the  everlasting  shore.  His  wife  had  already  passed 
that  way  to  England  before  him,  and  his  longing  was 
that  he  might  be  spared  to  see  her  again.  Before  he 
left  Sierra  Leone,  where  fever  was  raging,  and  aU  the 
day  the  mourners  went  about  the  streets,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
During,  fellow  missionaries,  brought  their  only  remain- 


30  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

ing  child  and  begged  Johnson  to  take  it  home  with 
him  to  save  its  httle  hfe.  As  nurse  to  the  infant  he 
also  took  a  young  negress  named  Sarah  Bickersteth, 
his  first  convert,  and  she  told  afterwards  the  touching 
story  of  his  last  hours.  He  had  left  Africa  but  three 
days  when  the  fever  seized  him  ;  sometimes  he  lay  in 
deep  stupor,  at  others  crying  aloud  in  delirium,  always 
with  his  heart  among  his  poor  people.  He  asked  the 
weeping  native  girl  to  read  to  him  the  23rd  Psalm,  and 
then  told  her  to  pray — "  I  am  going  to  die,  pray  for 
me."  The  poor  black  nurse,  nursing  the  little  white 
baby,  knelt  on  the  cabin  floor  and  in  simple  words 
asked  "  that  the  Lord  Jesus  would  take  massa  the 
right  way."  Then  he  sent  a  message  to  David  Noah, 
his  native  assistant.  "  Tell  him  to  do  his  duty — for  if 
he  say,  '  because  massa  dead,  I  can  do  nothing,'  he 
must  pray  and  God  will  help  him,  and  so  we  shall 
meet  in  Heaven."  He  turned  his  dying  eyes  upon  his 
solitary  watcher,  clasped  his  hands  and  whispered, 
"  I  cannot  live.  God  calls  me,  and  this  night  I  shall 
be  with  Him." 

It  is  quite  possible  that  among  the  crowd  assembled 
to  see  this  devoted  missionary  embark  for  his  last 
journey  would  be  a  black  youth  of  about  fifteen  years, 
with  perhaps  his  school  books  and  Bible  in  his  hands  ; 
and  who  can  tell  but  what  the  departing  one  may 
have  spoken  to  him  in  turn  and  said,  "  Crowther,  God 
bless  you,  my  boy.  Good-bye  "  ?  He,  too,  would 
doubtless  mingle  with  the  sorrowing  people  when  the 
news  came  of  this  bereavement.  They  crowded  the 
church  Uke  sheep  huddled  in  distress,  the  shepherd 


A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY  31 

gone,  and  one  of  the  missionaries  begged  them  to  make 
no  noise,  knowing  the  African  custom  of  loudly  wailing 
for  the  dead.  Not  a  word  or  sob  was  heard  ;  this 
silence  was  more  impressive  than  any  grand  funeral 
music  could  have  been.  After  a  time  an  African  con- 
vert rose,  his  voice  thrilling  with  deep  emotion.  "  My 
dear  brethren,  I  think  God  took  him  away  because  we 
looked  more  to  Mr.  Johnson  than  we  did  to  the  Lord 
Jesus.  I  hope  that  this  trial  will  make  us  look  more 
to  the  Lord  Jesus,  for  He  alone  can  save  us.  He  alone 
is  the  Light  of  the  World.  Let  us  go  to  Him  and  beg 
Him  to  sanctify  this  trial  to  us,  and  then  let  us  show 
our  love  to  our  dear  minister  by  doing  what  he  told  us.^^ 

Could  any  eulogy  be  more  eloquent  than  these 
simple  heartbroken  words  ? 

One  of  the  most  sacred  spots  on  the  West  Coast  of 
Africa,  a  veritable  "God's  acre,"  is  the  old  burial  ground 
on  the  Kissy  Road,  Sierra  Leone.  The  author  of  "  The 
Finished  Course  "  takes  us  from  grave  to  grave.  "  There 
lies  the  veteran  missionary  worn  out  by  years  of  toil ; 
and  there  the  young  brother  struck  down  in  the  prime 
of  youth  and  the  height  of  his  usefulness.  There  sleeps 
the  young  wife  who  rejoiced  that  she  was  '  counted 
worthy  '  to  die  for  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  there 
the  little  children,  early  blighted  by  that  deadly 
climate — like  the  Babes  of  Bethlehem — '  unconscious 
martyrs  in  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer.'  .  .  .  Volume 
upon  volume  might  be  filled  with  the  record  of  the 
lives,  work,  and  death  of  God's  dear  servants  who  laid 
down  their  lives  for  their  Saviour  in  Africa  ;  and  whose 
bodies   there   lie    '  sown    as   precious   seed   in    God's 


32  A  LITTLE  SLAVE  BOY 

garden  '  around  the  churches  they  died  to  found — 
seed  that  in  the  Resurrection  morning  will  doubtless 
spring  up  to  new  and  glorious  and  unfading  life. 

Death  hath  not  slain  them  ;  they  are  freed,  not  slain  ! 

It  is  the  gate  of  Life,  and  not  of  Death, 
That  they  have  entered  ;   and  the  grave  in  vain 

Has  tried  to  stifle  the  immortal  breath. 

They  are  not  tasting  death,  but  taking  rest 
On  the  same  holy  couch  where  Jesus  lay  ; 

Soon  to  awake,  all  glorified  and  blest, 

When  day  has  broke  and  shadows  fled  away." 


CHAPTER   II 

SCHOOLMASTER   AND   EXPLORER 

A  VISIT  to  London  for  the  first  time  is  an  event 
■  in  the  Ufetime  of  an  EngHsh  boy,  but  infinitely 
greater  must  have  been  the  excited  anticipation  of 
young  Crowther  when  his  friends  and  guardians,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Davey,  told  him  that  they  were  taking  him 
with  them  on  a  short  visit  home  to  the  white  man's 
land.  One  can  easily  imagine  the  boy's  delight  at  the 
prospect,  for  already  he  had  by  the  key  of  knowledge 
opened  some  of  the  doors  of  English  history  in  his 
reading  books,  and  he  had  his  day-dreams  of  that 
wonderful  country  from  which  the  ships  had  come, 
where  all  the  people  had  white  faces,  lived  in  houses 
of  brick  and  stone,  and  were  able  to  move  quickly  to 
and  fro  by  steam.  It  is  strange  that  in  his  diaries 
there  should  be  no  extended  record  of  his  impressions 
of  this  interesting  visit  in  1826  ;  all  he  notes  is  by 
way  of  retrospect  :  "I  had  the  privilege  of  visiting 
your  happy  and  favoured  land  in  the  year  1826,  in 
which  it  was  my  desire  to  remain  for  a  good  while  to 
be  qualified  for  a  teacher  to  my  fellow-creatures." 
But  from  other  memoranda  we  find  that  he  landed  at 
Portsmouth  on  16  August,  and  that  during  his  stay 
of  about  eight  months  he  attended  the  Parochial  School 
D  33 


34         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

in  Liverpool  Road,  Islington,  a  building  still  standing, 
just  behind  the  burial  ground  of  the  Chapel  of  Ease. 
He  would  probably  be  staying  at  the  house  of  the  Rev. 
E.  Bickersteth  ;  and  it  is  stated  that  for  a  short  visit 
he  was  taken  to  the  country  home  of  the  same  clergy- 
man and  mingled  with  the  family  circle  of  boys  and 
girls  as  one  of  themselves.  What  a  wonderland  all 
this  would  be  to  him  ! 

On  his  return  to  Sierra  Leone  he  was  appointed  as 
schoolmaster  by  the  Colonial  Government  in  one  of 
the  villages  at  a  salary  of  £i  per  month,  not  a  very 
munificent  remuneration,  but  grateful  enough  to  him, 
the  first  money  of  any  consequence  that  he  had  earned 
since  in  the  old  home  at  Oshogun  he  made  a  profit  of 
a  handful  of  cowries  by  the  sale  of  his  chickens.  He 
notes  in  his  diary  about  this  time  that  he  had  never 
since  met  a  dozen  of  his  people  from  that  devastated 
town,  and  had  not  cast  eyes  on  his  father,  mother,  or 
any  of  his  relations.  When  the  question  was  mooted 
of  sending  a  likely  native  youth  to  England  for  train- 
ing, Mr.  Davey,  who  had  just  returned  with  him, 
wrote  : 

The  only  lad  I  could  at  present  recommend  as  fit  to  be 
sent  to  England  is  Samuel  Crowther.  He  would,  I  have  reason 
to  believe,  prove  a  very  useful  instrument  for  carrying  on  the 
work  in  Western  Africa.  He  has  abilities  far  surpassing  any 
I  have  met  with  before,  and  added  to  this  he  appears  to  be 
truly  pious.  Our  only  fear  respecting  him  might  be  that  he 
should  be  lifted  up  too  much  by  a  second  voyage  to  England. 
He  has  improved  very  much  under  the  assiduous  care  of 
Brother  Haensel,  and  gave  great  satisfaction  in  the  examina- 
tion the  other  day. 

This  letter,  dated  Christmas  Day,   1827,  makes  a 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         35 

reference  to  new  developments  of  much  importance, 
for  it  was  a  day  to  be  remembered  when  Crowther 
entered  the  doors  of  the  African  Listitution,  after- 
wards known  as  Fourah  Bay  College.  The  history  of 
this  place  also  marks  a  point  in  the  story  of  the  Colony 
and  missionary  work.  Its  establishment  was  the 
result  of  that  appalling  death-rate  which  hitherto  had 
decimated  the  ranks  of  European  missionaries  sent 
to  the  West  Coast  of  Africa.  The  committee  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  felt  that  if  Africa  was  to 
be  evangehzed  it  must  be  through  native  agency ;  for 
her  own  sons  would  not  be  stricken  down  by  fever  as 
the  white  men  were,  and  it  was  therefore  imperative 
that  such  should  be  trained,  intellectually  and  spiritu- 
ally, for  this  high  vocation.  It  was  in  the  nature  of  an 
experiment,  and  there  were  those  who  then  almost 
distrusted  the  capacity  of  an  African  to  discharge  the 
functions  of  a  responsible  ministry.  At  this  juncture 
the  Society  was  particularly  fortunate  in  sending  out 
the  Rev.  Charles  Haensel  to  start  the  Institution.  He 
was  a  young  Lutheran  missionary,  of  German  birth, 
from  the  Basle  Seminary,  and  proved  to  be  the 
man  for  the  post.  The  site  selected  for  the  future 
Alma  Mater  of  the  negro  student  was  an  old  disused 
slave  house,  an  undesigned  coincidence  as  a  starting 
point  of  spiritual  freedom,  with  extensive  grounds 
overlooking  Fourah  Bay.  It  was  far  enough  away 
from  the  surrounding  villages  to  ensure  the  privacy 
and  quiet  of  the  students.  The  building,  as  adapted 
to  its  new  occupation,  was  of  the  plainest  character, 
really  an  ordinary  dwelling-house,  where  the  young 


36         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

fellows  were  boarded  and  lodged  on  the  ground  floor, 
the  principal  and  his  wife  occupying  the  floor  above, 
and  the  verandah  doing  duty  for  classroom  and 
lecture  hall.  It  was  a  simple  and  unostentatious  be- 
ginning. Mr.  Haensel  felt  the  responsibility  of  organ- 
izing such  a  work,  which  would  lay  down  a  new 
principle  in  missionary  enterprise,  for  the  committee 
told  him  on  leaving  for  his  sphere  of  work  that  they 
had  "  come  to  a  fixed  determination  of  prosecuting  by 
all  means  in  their  power  and  in  any  place,  whether  in 
Europe  or  Africa,  which  may  ultimately  prove  most 
eligible,  the  education  of  intelligent  and  pious  natives 
with  a  view  of  their  becoming  Christian  teachers 
among  their  countrymen."  It  may  not  be  out  of 
place  to  record,  in  parenthesis,  the  subsequent  de- 
velopment of  this  germ  of  native  higher  culture. 

In  1840,  with  twenty-five  students,  a  new  building 
was  erected  of  laterite  stone  on  a  proper  plan,  with 
library,  lecture  room,  college  chapel,  and  dormitory. 
The  architect,  with  a  touch  of  unconscious  humour, 
fitted  up  every  room  with  an  English  fireplace,  a  need- 
less provision  for  a  climate  generally  90°  in  the  shade  ! 
The  college  was  in  1876  affiliated  with  the  University 
of  Durham,  so  that  its  students  could  qualify  for 
English  degrees  without  leaving  Africa.  That  this 
privilege  has  been  justified  is  seen  by  the  fact  that 
since  then  from  the  latest  calendar  fourteen  hold  the 
licence  in  theology,  twenty  had  degrees  of  B.A.,  twenty 
held  both  L.Th.  and  B.A.,  five  have  taken  M.A.,  and 
two  B.C.L.  To  two  others  Durham  has  granted  the 
honorary  M.A.,  and  two  more  the  honorary  D.D.,  and 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         37 

the  principals  and  tutors  have  also  borne  University 
honours.  These  facts  will  be  a  sufficient  answer  to 
those  critics  who,  even  in  Crowther's  early  days  as  we 
have  seen,  shew  a  disinchnation  to  credit  the  African 
brain  with  much  intellectual  capacity.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  given  the  same  advantages,  the  negro  proves 
himself  second  to  none  in  the  acquisition  of  know- 
ledge. In  addition  to  these  academic  details  one  is 
tempted  to  add  that  they  have  a  capital  cricket  team 
(they  play  on  matting),  football  and  hockey  clubs,  and 
a  debating  society  and  missionary  parliament,  where 
they  discuss  up-to-date  problems  on  House  of  Commons 
methods  with,  it  is  hoped,  an  equally  profitable  result. 
The  spiritual  standard  of  the  college  is  kept  in  view  ; 
they  are  trained  to  be  manly  Christians,  and  are  ever 
ready  to  engage  in  evangelistic  work.  They  are  good 
linguists  and  soon  pick  up  other  dialects,  so  that,  with- 
out any  official  compulsion,  the  Gospel  is  preached  for 
six  months  of  the  year  every  Sunday  in  four  languages, 
other  than  English,  by  students  of  Fourah  Bay.  One 
word  more  as  to  the  destination  of  the  fine  young 
fellows.  Many  work  as  missionaries  in  the  interior 
until  God  has  evidently  set  His  seal  on  their  labours, 
when  they  are  ordained  for  service  at  the  front  or  the 
pastorate  of  the  three  native  churches  in  Sierra  Leone, 
Lagos,  and  the  Niger  Delta,  besides  which  they  do 
duty  at  the  grammar  schools,  others  becoming  doctors 
and  barristers-at-law  on  the  West  Coast.  Some  enter 
the  Civil  Service,  of  which  two  are  now  heads  of  depart- 
ments ;  two  more  are  appointed  by  His  Majesty  to  seats 
on  the  Legislative  Council  of  the  Colony,  one  has  been 


38    SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

three  times  mayor  of  Freetown,  eight  have  been  canons 
of  the  cathedral,  one  of  whom,  the  late  Henry  John- 
son, was  a  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  Arabic  scholar,  and 
Honorary  M.  A.  Cambridge  ;  two  others  Archdeacons  of 
Sierra  Leone,  and  four  to  the  Episcopate.  Of  these 
last  mentioned,  the  most  distinguished,  of  course,  is 
Crowther.  This  record  generally  is  strong  evidence 
of  the  progressive  possibilities  of  the  African  mind  and 
character. 

Returning  again  to  those  early  days,  we  find 
Crowther  was  the  first  student  to  enter  the  doors  of 
Fourah  Bay  College.  He  made  some  sacrifice  of  pre- 
sent interest  to  do  this,  for  he  had,  although  still  a 
youth,  obtained  an  independent  position  as  a  school- 
master, and  he  would,  by  taking  this  step,  leave 
teaching  to  become  a  scholar  again.  From  some  old 
letters  of  Mr.  Haensel,  the  principal,  we  get  a  few 
curious  little  details  of  the  daily  round  and  the  rather 
common  but  salutary  tasks  of  those  youthful  students, 
with  occasionally  a  glimpse  of  Crowther  himself,  well 
worth  rescuing  from  oblivion.  Mr.  Haensel  is  evidently 
exercised  in  his  mind  lest  his  students  part  through 
high-mindedness . 

[  |It  has  been  my  endeavour  (he  writes)  to  prevent  any- 
sudden  rise  in  the  outward  condition  of  the  youths.  Coming 
out  of  Government  schools,  or  out  of  menial  employ,  they  have 
mostly  brought  scanty  clothing  with  them — a  couple  of  shirts, 
a  pair  of  trousers,  a  hat  and  perhaps  a  jacket,  with  a  book  of 
Common  Prayer,  and  in  some  instances  a  Bible,  constitute 
their  entire  possessions.  I  have,  in  the  first  place,  where 
necessary,  added  a  Bible  to  their  stock,  a  pair  of  trousers,  and 
a  shirt  after  a  little  while,  a  jacket,  if  necessary,  after  a  month 
or  two,  and  another  pair  of  trousers  some  time  after  that. 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         39 

This  for  their  full  dress  on  Sunday  and  other  particular  occa- 
sions ;  at  home  they  always  go  barefooted.  Even  Samuel 
Crowther  does  so  at  home,  though  his  visit  to  England  has 
raised  him  to  the  height  of  white  stockings,  a  suit  of  blue 
cloth,  a  waistcoat,  and  a  beaver  hat  on  Sundays  ! 

Their  food  consists  of  rice  and  yams  (a  sort  of  potato), 
plain  boiled,  with  some  meat  or  fish  occasionally  and  palm 
oil,  which  they  eat  out  of  tin  pans.  The  youths  are  their  own 
servants  ;  they  sweep  and  scrub  the  schoolroom  and  sleeping 
room,  clean  the  table,  and  wash  their  clothes.  I  send  occa- 
sionally one  or  other  on  errands,  just  to  remind  them  that 
they  are  not  above  carrying  a  basketful  of  rice  or  anything 
else  on  their  heads.  From  Samuel  Crowther  I  require  only 
the  inspection  of  these  services.  I  have,  however,  pointed  out 
to  him  the  necessity  of  example  accompanying  precept  in  this 
as  in  all  other  branches  of  our  work,  and  he  follows  my  sugges- 
tions. When  Samuel  Crowther  first  entered  the  Institution 
he  brought  with  him  a  mattress  with  which  he  had  been  pre- 
sented when  in  England,  but  as  this  was  too  great  a  luxury 
I  at  once  forbade  its  entrance,  to  which  he  readily  consented. 
I  wish  for  the  good  of  his  own  soul  to  see  him  in  that  state  of 
lowliness  of  mind  which  Africans  so  easily  lose  by  visits  to 
England. 

This  picture  of  the  future  Bishop  appearing  at  the 
college  portals  with  a  mattress  on  his  shoulders  is  a 
touch  of  nature  worth  preservation.  What  grace  he 
must  have  had  to  take  his  treasure  back  again  and 
leave  it  behind  !  Now  we  will  have  the  opinion  of  the 
pupil  upon  the  principal,  written  by  Crowther  after  a 
lapse  of  forty  years, 

Mr.  Haensel  was  a  peculiar  person  altogether  ;  we  could 
never  find  one  to  match  him.  He  was  so  venerated  by  all  the 
merchants,  they  would  all  tremble  at  his  presence  if  they  did 
not  act  straightforwardly  or  honestly.  He  would  tell  you  in 
language  which  was  not  offensive,  but  which  you  could  never 
forget,  and  next  time  you  saw  him  you  would  tremble  to  act 
in  the  same  way,  either  by  speaking  inadvertently  or  by  acting 
contrary  to  Christian  principles.  He  was  a  man  of  very 
penetrating  qualifications. 


40         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

Between  the  lines  of  this  neatly  -  worded  recollec- 
tion, peering  through  the  bars  of  memory's  lattice,  we 
discern  the  dour  countenance  of  this  faithful  dominie, 
"  a  peculiar  person  altogether,"  with  a  Teutonic  ten- 
dency for  discipline,  sternly  but  sincerely  striving  to 
make  something  out  of  this  native  material  for  the 
glory  of  God.  A  deeply  sensitive  man,  too,  under  that 
strong  exterior,  carrying  his  crosses  without  a  murmur, 
for  all  his  boys  did  not  turn  out  so  well  as  Crowther. 
He  was  overburdened  also  with  many  secular  duties 
as  secretary,  responsible  for  other  schools.  There  is 
something  very  pathetic  in  this  paragraph  from  an  old 
letter,  laying  bare  his  heart,  overtaxed  and  self- 
condemned  in  its  anxious  concern  for  his  black  boys : 

The  regularity  (he  writes)  of  proceedings  in  the  Institution 
has  been  a  good  deal  interrupted  during  the  quarter  by  those 
duties  of  an  official  character  which  have  so  frequently  called 
me  from  home  and  have  at  home  also  confined  me  to  the 
secretary's  table,  more  than  the  schoolroom  could  well  spare 
me.  Formerly  I  had  some  time  to  enter  into  my  children's 
little  concerns.  I  could  help  them  to  bind  a  little  book,  to 
paint  a  lion,  and  to  sew  on  a  button  ;  of  late  I  have  been 
generally  in  too  great  a  hurry  to  attend  to  them  as  I  desire. 
To  my  great  regret  I  now  miss  that  affection  which  I  think 
I  formerly  possessed,  and  as  my  mind  becomes  distressed  on 
that  account  I  feel  more  keenly  the  absence  of  spiritual  fruit. 
Perhaps  this  is  sent  by  the  Lord  in  judgment  because  I  was 
too  easily  contented  when  I  had  the  affection  of  the  youths, 
and  was  not  zealous  enough  that  their  hearts  should  be  given 
to  Him.  I  do  not  say  that  they  make  no  progress  in  learning, 
even  in  Scriptural  knowledge.  I  believe  they  advance  to  a 
certain  degree,  but  in  spiritual  attainment  there  does  not 
seem  to  be  any  growth  ;  and  how  insecure  is  the  foundation 
of  all  my  work  so  long  as  this  blessing  is  withheld  ! 

Faithful  servant  of  God,  a  truce  to  these  misgivings ; 
thou  didst  thy  part  valiantly  and  well ! 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER        41 

It  is  worthy  of  note  that  in  a  letter  written  a  few 
months  after  Crowther  came  into  the  Institution,  Mr. 
Haensel  speaks  well  of  his  pupil  and  clearly  discerns 
special  ability  in  him. 

"  He  is  a  very  clever  lad,"  he  writes,  "  and  it  is  a 
real  pleasure  to  instruct  him.  He  advances  steadily 
in  knowledge."  Later  on  he  writes  :  "  He  is  a  lad  of 
uncommon  ability,  steady  conduct,  a  thirst  for  know- 
ledge, and  indefatigable  industry." 

But  the  youth  was  already  on  the  threshold  of  man- 
hood, and  it  is  not  surprising  that  on  these  Sunday 
walks,  arrayed  in  the  blue  suit  and  beaver  hat,  this 
good-looking  young  African  of  promise  should  find  a 
life  companion.  It  has  been  already  hinted  that  soon 
after  he  landed  there  was  also  a  little  girl  named  Asano, 
who  learnt  her  letters  at  his  side.  She,  too,  was  a 
rescued  slave,  having  been  captured  by  His  Majesty's 
ship  Bann,  Captain  Charles  Phillips,  on  31  October, 
1822,  and  was  landed  at  Sierra  Leone  in  the  same  year 
as  Crowther.  She  in  her  turn  had  grown  up,  and  so 
far  made  her  mark  that  at  this  time  she  was  acting  as 
schoolmistress,  and  had  changed  her  name  at  baptism 
to  Susan  Thompson.  His  old  and  candid  friend,  Mr. 
Haensel,  drew  attention  to  the  existence  of  this  young 
lady  at  the  very  time  when  Crowther  was  first  entered 
as  a  student,  showing  that  this  attachment  was  no 
hasty  one.  The  principal,  in  sober  terms,  is  reporting 
to  his  committee  in  March,  1827  : 

You  will  see  by  the  minutes  that  Samuel  Crowther  is  to 
be  admitted  into  the  Institution  as  a  probationer  for  the 
present.     This  is  owing  to  the  information  which  is  received 


42         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

of  an  attachment  entertained  by  him  towards  a  girl  who  is 
schoolmistress  at  Bathurst.  He  says  he  will  not  let  it  inter- 
fere with  his  education,  and  I  am  ready  to  trust  in  his  sincerity, 
but  it  is  to  be  doubted  whether  he  knows  himself  sufficiently  ; 
and  it  will  be  easier  to  let  him  withdraw  during  his  period  of 
probation  if  he  should  feel  it  too  hard  to  be  separated  from 
her  than  after  his  full  reception  as  a  student. 

Crowther  had  by  this  time  been  appointed  assistant 
master  at  Regent  at  a  salary  of  £24  a  year  ;  and  now 
comes  this  very  interesting  and  significant  minute 
passed  at  a  meeting  of  the  Missionaries  in  Council  : 

An  application  from  Samuel  Crowther,  schoolmaster  of 
Regent,  for  leave  to  enter  into  holy  matrimony  with  Susan 
Thompson,  of  Bathurst,  having  been  submitted  and  a  satis- 
factory account  being  received  of  the  girl's  suitableness  for  a 
fellow-worker  with  him,  it  was  resolved  that  this  meeting 
consent  to  the  marriage  of  Samuel  Crowther  with  Susan 
Thompson  taking  place. 

No  time  seems  to  have  been  lost  by  the  happy 
couple,  for  they  appear  to  have  been  wedded  on  the 
same  date  as  this  minute  was  passed  !  Thus  began  a 
united  happiness  which,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
extended  over  half  a  century  until  his  wife's  death  at 
Lagos  in  1881,  leaving  three  sons,  one  being  the 
Venerable  Archdeacon  Dandeson  Coates  Crowther ; 
two  were  laymen,  and  the  three  daughters  all  married 
African  clergymen.  This  good  wife  and  mother  was 
spared  to  see  her  children's  children  to  the  third 
generation,  to  whom  the  promises  of  blessing  are 
assured. 

In  this  first  3'ear  of  his  married  life  Crowther  was 
associated  with  his  old  friend  Mr.  Weeks,  who  men- 
tions him  in  a  letter  thus  :    "I  have  now  a  good  assis- 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         43 

tant  in  Samuel  Crowther ;  he  promises  fair  to  be  very 
useful  ;  the  Lord  give  him  grace  and  keep  him  humble." 

But  in  1834  we  find  him  going  back  to  Fourah  Bay 
College,  this  time  as  a  regularly  appointed  tutor,  work- 
ing hard  at  his  Greek  and  Latin  during  his  leisure 
hours  and  doing  good  service  as  a  parish  assistant 
under  the  Rev.  G.  A.  Kissling  (afterwards  Archdeacon 
in  New  Zealand),  who  had  succeeded  the  Rev.  C.  L.  F. 
Haensel  as  principal.  He  also  did  useful  work  in  con- 
junction with  two  other  native  students  who  were 
under  instruction  by  him,  named  George  Nicol  and 
Thomas  Maxwell,  who  both  afterwards  became  Govern- 
ment chaplains,  and  the  former  the  husband  of  one 
of  Crowther's  daughters.  A  Sunday-school,  especially 
in  the  care  of  Crowther,  was  held  in  an  old  building 
called  Gibraltar  Chapel,  afterwards  destroyed  by  fire. 

Fortunately  he  put  in  writing  some  of  his  impres- 
sions at  this  time,  and  shall  now  speak  for  himself. 
He  is  writing  a  letter  to  England  : 

As  I  doubt  not  it  will  be  acceptable  to  you  to  know  a  little 
how  part  of  my  time  is  employed,  I  hope  it  will  not  be  looked 
upon  as  ostentation.  When  I  briefly  mention  the  effect  of 
Mr.  Kissling's  advice  on  my  study,  I  thankfully  accept  the 
offer  of  improvement  held  out  to  me  by  my  being  stationed 
here.  At  my  coming  to  the  Institution  the  second  time  I  look 
on  myself  as  a  student  rather  on  the  one  hand,  while  I  en- 
deavour to  assist  the  pupils  on  the  other,  and  I  may  humbly 
say  through  the  ministry  and  private  assistance  of  the  Rev. 
G.  A.  Kissling  I  am  greatly  improved  in  many  respects.  My 
views  of  many  things,  which  were  dark,  are  set  in  a  much 
clearer  light,  and  when  any  difficulty  arises  in  my  course  of 
study  I  always  endeavour  to  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity 
of  a  living  teacher,  for  which  I  sometimes  prove  troublesome 
to  him.  My  studies,  which  before  were  loose  and  unconnected, 
have  been  more  stated  and  regular.     When  plans  of  a  regular 


44         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

study  and  its  consequent  eflfects  have  been  pointed  out  to  me, 
I  immediately  endeavoured  to  follow  the  experimental  direc- 
tion. I  chose  Doddridge's  "Family  Expositor,"  with  which 
the  paternal  desire  of  the  Rev.  C.  L.  F.  Haensel,  for  my  im- 
provement, has  furnished  me,  and  which  was  pointed  out  to 
me  by  Mr.  Kissling  as  indeed  a  worthy  book.  I  commenced 
reading  it  regularly  at  six  o'clock  for  one  hour,  in  the  school- 
room, before  our  morning  devotion.  Though  it  was  with  some 
difficulty  before  I  could  bridle  myself  down  to  this  plan,  yet 
in  a  few  weeks,  when  I  began  to  see  the  thread  of  the  Four 
Gospels  harmonized,  at  the  same  time  comparing  it  with  what 
was  expounded  at  our  morning  devotion  by  Mr.  KissUng,  I 
soon  began  to  perceive  the  privilege  of  a  regular  and  stated 
course  of  study  and  the  beauty  of  the  history  of  our  Lord  and 
Saviour.  When  I  had  gone  through  that  book  I  was  very 
much  dehghted  with  it,  and  being  so  poorly  and  scantily 
supplied  with  its  rich  and  excellent  contents,  especially  the 
epistolary  part,  I  hesitated  not  to  give  it  a  second  regular 
perusal,  which  I  am  now  doing  as  far  as  the  Revelation,  with 
clearer  views  and  greater  delight  than  formerly.  Thus  I  began 
to  experience  what  is  quoted  of  Bishop  Home  in  the  "Com- 
panion to  the  Bible,"  when  he  said,  with  respect  to  the  Psalms, 
"  These  unfading  plants  of  Paradise  become,  as  we  are  more 
and  more  accustomed  to  them,  still  more  and  more  beautiful  ; 
their  blooms  appear  to  be  daily  heightened  ;  fresh  odours  are 
emitted,  and  new  sweets  are  extracted  from  them  ;  who  hath 
once  tasted  their  excellencies  will  desire  to  taste  them  yet 
again,  and  he  who  tastes  them  often  will  reUsh  them  best." 
I  hope  I  may  pursue  the  study  of  the  Holy  Bible  without  much 
mixture  of  weakness  and  weariness,  which  I  often  experience 
in  so  doing.  May  the  Lord  pardon  my  infirmities,  rovings, 
and  instabihties  in  the  use  of  His  Holy  Word  !  That  the  time 
may  come  when  the  heathen  shall  be  fully  given  to  Christ  for 
His  inheritance  and  the  utmost  parts  of  the  earth  for  His 
possession. 

About  this  time  Crowther  wrote  another  letter  dated 

from  Kissy  3  July,  1840,  in  which  he  gives  a  ghmpse 

of  his  own  cHmbing  of  the  ladder  of  learning : 

I  have  begun  (he  writes)  to  study  the  Greek  language.  I 
learned  some  time  ago,  through  the  aid  of  Mr.  Schlenker,  the 
declension  of  nouns  and  adjectives  and  the  conjugation  of 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         45 

verbs  ;  the  only  books  I  have  are  Parkhurst's  "  Greek  Lexicon  " 
and  a  Greek  Testament.  I  hope,  by  God's  blessing,  that  I 
shall  soon  be  able  to  understand  the  Word  of  God  in  that 
language,  in  which  it  was  first  written  by  the  evangelists  and 
apostles. 

But  Crowther  found  that  the  education  of  these 
natives  and  their  Christian  teaching  was  no  easy  task, 
although  he  felt  it  such  a  labour  of  love.  The  peculiar 
temperament  of  the  negro  race,  their  impulsive 
emotionalism,  the  groundwork  of  superstition  and 
ignorance  which  had  to  be  drastically  dealt  with,  that 
natural  lightheartedness  which  led  them  to  almost 
childish  vanity  and  frivolity — all  these,  recognized  by 
Crowther  so  readily,  being  of  one  blood  with  themselves, 
were  real  difficulties  to  be  overcome  and  reckoned  with 
in  his  work.  And  yet  the  wonderful  change  which  had 
come  over  Sierra  Leone  since  the  Gospel  had  been 
preached  there  gave  great  hope  of  future  progress. 
As  was  his  wont,  he  quietly  set  down  his  thoughts 
upon  this  matter  at  the  time,  and  the  following 
quotation  from  an  old  letter  expresses  his  hopefulness  : 

That  state  of  our  people  (he  writes)  some  years  ago,  com- 
pared with  what  is  at  present,  affords  a  delightful  scene. 
Our  country  is  greatly  improved  and  benefited  by  the  labours 
of  the  servants  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society.  The  private 
feeling  of  individuals  with  whom  we  are  conversant,  as  well 
as  the  great  stir  which  is  seen  amongst  the  liberated  Africans 
at  present,  who  seemed  to  be  awakened  from  their  foolishness 
and  superstition  to  serve  God,  greatly  shows  that  they  are 
becoming  another  people.  Twelve  years  ago,  hundreds  of 
men  and  women,  who  now  fill  our  Sunday-schools,  and  many 
of  whom  we  see  through  that  privilege  are  now  able  to  read 
for  themselves  the  wonderful  works  of  God,  thought  they  were 
too  old  to  learn  ;  they  used  to  say  that  book-learning  was  for 
white  people,   and  was  rather  boyish  employment.     There 


46         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

were  some  few,  indeed,  who  used  to  attend  the  evening  school 
which  was  then  kept,  from  motives  of  desiring  to  improve  ; 
but  a  greater  part  of  them  used  to  attend  merely  to  please 
their'  missionary,  who  was  also  their  manager.  For  often 
when  school  was  opened  with  a  hundred  or  more  scholars,  it 
was  not  often  closed  with  many  above  fifty  ;  for  many  of 
them,  under  pretence  of  going  out,  slipped  away  to  their 
homes.  Some  there  were  who  openly  expressed  their  dis- 
pleasure at  school  by  an  artifice  most  ridiculous  in  its  nature. 
These  were  the  inhabitants  of  WelUngton.  Upon  agreement 
they  soon  assembled  at  the  call  of  the  bell,  but  before  school 
was  opened  they  all,  with  one  accord,  simultaneously  rushed 
out  of  the  grass  chapel,  through  the  doors  and  windows,  in 
the  utmost  confusion  possible.  To  crown  the  whole,  they 
shouted  in  their  country  language,  as  soon  as  they  got  out, 
with  an  expression  of  their  victory  over  the  schoolmaster. 
But,  blessed  be  our  God  !  these  are  the  very  people  who  have 
wiUingly  contributed  and  built  a  chapel  which  is  by  far  too 
small  for  the  attendants  on  pubUc  worship  on  Sunday  morn- 
ings and  for  the  Sunday  scholars. 

There  were  some  others  who  gave  a  greater  part  of  their 
time  to  drumming  and  dancing.  At  that  time  this  was  a 
favourite  amusement,  with  which  they  would  not  part,  at 
any  rate.  I  well  remember  the  time  when  the  Rev.  J.  W. 
Weeks  spoke  to  one  of  the  head  dancers,  a  man  of  under- 
standing, on  the  folly  of  so  doing,  especially  as  he  could  read 
his  Bible,  but  instead  of  being  thankful  for  this  kind  admoni- 
tion he  looked  at  Mr.  Weeks  as  an  intruder  on  their  peace. 
He  immediately  appUed  to  the  manager  for  permission  to 
play,  and  that  being  granted  he  retired  with  his  company, 
with  singing,  clappings  of  hands,  dancing  and  performing 
somersets  [sic],  in  spite  of  their  kind  admonition.  Though 
the  working  of  the  Gospel  leaven  be  slow,  yet  wherever  it 
touches  it  will  prove  effectual  in  converting  the  lump  to  its 
nature.  This  very  individual,  after  many  years,  was  brought 
to  see  the  real  state  of  his  danger.  He  was  under  Mr.  Weeks' 
instruction  as  a  candidate  at  Bathurst  for  some  time,  and  was 
one  of  the  five  baptized  by  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Schon.  How  many 
instances  of  former  follies,  ignorance,  and  superstition  may 
be  mentioned  when  the  individuals  have  been  brought  to  see 
their  real  state  and  condition  and  have  become  followers  of 
the  Lamb  !  Was  not  the  former  conduct  of  these  individuals 
cause  of  great  discouragement  to  the  missionaries  ?     When 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         47 

such  reports  as  these  were  made,  did  it  not  seem  as  if  all  that 
was  doing  for  Africa  was  to  no  purpose  ?  But  Christian  per- 
severance will  have  its  frvxit  at  last,  success  will  crown  their 
labours,  and  with  joy  they  will  bear  the  sheaves  of  the  seeds 
which  they  had  sown  in  tears. 

Throughout  his  long  and  eventful  life  Crowther 
never  failed  in  his  grateful  appreciation  of  all  that 
the  Church  Missionary  Society  had  been  to  him, 
especially  its  tender  and  generous  care  of  him  during 
these  early  days  of  his  career,  when  his  mind  and  heart 
were  receiving  impressions  from  the  missionaries  and 
schoolmasters  which  so  much  influenced  him  for  good. 

A  special  interest  therefore  attaches  to  his  first 
letter  to  the  secretaries  at  Salisbury  Square.  This 
has  happily  been  preserved,  and  is  a  rare  and  self- 
revealing  document  which  must  find  a  place  here.  It 
is  written  from  the  Christian  Institution,  Fourah  Bay, 
and  bears  date  19  January,  1829. 

Rev.  and  Dear  Gentlemen, — Your  most  humble  and  obliged 
servant  addresses  these  few  lines  to  you  and  hopes  that  all 
what  he  says  is  directed  by  his  God,  in  whose  vineyard  he 
desires  to  labour  and  be  useful.  I  thank  you  for  all  the 
privileges  which  I  have  had,  by  and  through  you,  in  learning 
those  good  things  which  are  very  useful  and  pleasant  in  this 
life,  and  most  of  all  in  learning  to  know  that  one  needful 
which  none  can  take  away  from  me. 

When  I  was  brought  to  England  by  my  honoured  master, 
Mr.  Davey,  my  chief  desire  was  to  learn  something  which  may 
be  good  for  me  and  my  fellow-creatures.  When  I  was  to  be 
sent  back  home  again,  I  begged  very  hard,  not  for  anything 
else,  but  that  I  might  remain  there  and  learn  something,  that 
when  I  came  back  to  Africa  I  might  be  a  little  help  to  the 
Mission.  But  when  I  found  that  it  was  not  God's  will  that  I 
should  stop  there  any  longer,  I  cast  myself  upon  Him,  because 
He  knows  best.  He  has  not  forgotten,  He  has  sent  a  faithful 
servant  of  His  to  impart  to  me  those  good  things  which  I  was 
in  need  of,  and  not  to  me  only,  but  to  those  to  whom  He  sees 
fit  to  be  employed  in  His  vineyard. 

I  am  very  glad  to  say  I  am  now  engaged  as  the  assistant 
to  my  faithful  master  Mr.  Haensel,  in  the  Christian  Institu- 


48         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

tion,  yet  this  is  not  my  chief  desire,  for  I  am  desiring  to  be 
instructed  by  God's  Holy  Spirit  that  I  may  soon  rise  up  and 
become  a  teacher  to  the  others.  I  have  hope  that  Africa  will 
soon  stretch  forth  her  hands  unto  God,  and  that  joy  and 
gladness  shall  be  found  in  her,  thanksgiving  and  the  voice  of 
melody.  I  hope  I  am  not  forward  in  saying  I  can  and  do 
bear  all  things  if  Jesus  strengthens  me.  My  earnest  prayer  is 
that  my  four  brethren,  who  are  yet  with  you,  may  have  the 
same  desire  and  pray  vnth  me  and  those  that  are  here  in  the 
Spirit,  that  in  future  we  may  join  in  Africa  as  Christ's  faithful 
soldiers,  who  come  forth  to  fight  for  the  souls  of  their  fellow- 
creatures  under  the  great  Captain  of  our  soul's  salvation. 
Pray  ye  for  Africa,  that  many  natives  may  come  forth  and 
give  themselves  unto  Jesus,  to  employ  them  in  what  He  wants 
them  to  do. 

My  kind  respects  to  all  who  care  for  the  Africans.  And  I 
would  comfort  them  that  they  need  not  be  in  despair  that 
Africa  shall  not  return.  Though  how  few  we  natives  may  be 
that  profess  to  be  teachers,  we  shall  try,  perhaps  God  will 
hear  our  prayers  and  help  us.  Ehjah  was  the  only  prophet 
that  remained,  as  it  is  said  in  the  ist  Book  of  Kings,  chapter 
xviii.  V.  22,  in  the  days  of  Ahab  ;  and  the  prophets  of  Baal 
were  four  hundred  and  fifty,  yet  God  answered  him,  though 
he  was  the  only  one  that  remained,  and  his  Ufe  was  sought 
to  be  taken  away. 

Pray  for  Africa  is  the  prayer  of  your  most  humble,  thankful, 
and  obliged  servant,  Samuel  Crowther. 

In  the  year  1841  a  new  sphere  of  usefuhiess  opened 
to  him  unexpectedly  ;  indeed,  the  step  he  took  had  a 
great  influence  in  shaping  his  future  course  of  Hfe. 
It  brought  him  out  of  the  narrow  Umits  of  his  work 
as  a  schoolmaster,  and  this  incident  gave  him  an 
opportunity  of  testing  and  developing  those  quaUties 
of  practical  wisdom  which  distinguished  him.  He  was 
still  a  young  man,  with  any  amount  of  brimming 
energy  and  not  a  little  laudable  ambition ;  he  prob- 
ably recognized  that  God  had  caUed  him  to  a  wider 
and  more  important  field,  and  it  was  for  him  to  watch 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         49 

every  way  which  led  upward  and  onward,  to  what 
goal  he  knew  not.  But  it  will  be  seen  that  the  humble 
spirit  so  much  desired  by  his  old  tutor  was  not  wanting 
as  he  sought  how  best  to  be  a  means  of  grace  to  his 
native  land  and  people.  Africa  was  written  on  his 
heart.  There  never  was  a  truer  patriot  than  Crowther, 
and  as  such  he  looked  hopefully  for  the  day  when  her 
great  waterways  might  become,  not  only  crowded  with 
commercial  vessels,  but  the  highways  of  salvation, 
along  which  the  message  of  peace  and  goodwill  should 
travel  into  the  interior.  His  letters  show  that  his 
reading  and  his  own  personal  conviction  alike  con- 
vinced him  that  if  Africa  is  to  be  won  for  Christ  it 
must  be  by  the  service  of  her  own  sons.  An  unlooked- 
for  honour  now  came  to  him  through  the  Church 
Missionary  Society, 

Ever  since  the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade  the  West 
Coast  of  Africa  had  retained  a  special  interest  in  the 
eyes  of  the  British  nation.  What  might  be  called  the 
Experimental  Colony  of  freed  slaves  at  Sierra  Leone, 
with  its  trials  and  disappointments,  had  nevertheless 
demonstrated  the  capacity  of  the  African  race  under 
proper  training  and  supervision  to  be  a  dependable 
factor  in  missionary  work.  The  spread  of  Christianity 
and  its  striking  effect  in  bringing  order  out  of  chaos, 
and  flourishing  towns  where  revolution  and  crime  had 
been  rampant  heretofore,  had  its  due  effect  upon  the 
faith  and  confident  hope  of  the  Christians  at  home, 
and  the  minor  chord  of  sorrow  and  bereavement  had 
made  the  work  still  more  precious. 

And  the  British  Government  were  also  not  behind 


50    SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

in  reading  the  signs  of  the  times.  Probably  that 
important  work  by  Sir  Thomas  Fowell  Buxton,  entitled 
"  The  Slave  Trade  and  its  Remedy,"  had  pointed  out 
to  politicians  that  the  extinction  of  the  accursed  trade 
should  open  a  door  for  commerce  and  the  develop- 
ment of  a  new  world.  It  was  therefore  decided  to  fit 
out  an  expedition  of  discovery  to  ascend  the  Niger 
and  obtain  valuable  information  for  the  use  of  the 
Government.  Lord  John  Russell,  then  acting  as 
Colonial  Secretary,  addressed  a  letter  to  the  Lords  of 
the  Treasury  on  26  December,  1839,  i^^  which  he  ex- 
plained the  objects  of  the  proposed  expedition : 

The  Queen  has  directed  her  ministers  to  negotiate  conven- 
tions and  agreements  with  those  chiefs  and  powers,  the  basis 
of  which  conventions  would  be,  first,  the  abandonment  and 
absolute  prohibition  of  the  slave  trade  ;  and,  secondly,  the 
admission,  for  consumption  in  this  country,  on  favourable 
terms,  of  goods,  the  produce  and  manufacture  of  the  terri- 
tories subject  to  them — of  those  chiefs  the  most  considerable 
over  the  countries  adjacent  to  the  Niger  and  its  great  tribu- 
tary streams.  It  is  therefore  proposed  to  dispatch  an  expe- 
dition, which  would  ascend  that  river  by  steamboats  as  far 
as  the  points  at  which  it  receives  the  confluence  of  some  of 
the  principal  rivers  falling  into  it  from  the  eastward.  At  these, 
or  at  any  other  stations  which  may  be  found  more  favourable 
for  the  promotion  of  a  legitimate  commerce,  it  is  proposed  to 
establish  British  factories,  in  the  hope  that  the  natives  may 
be  taught  that  there  are  methods  of  employing  the  population 
more  profitable  to  those  to  whom  they  are  subject  than  that 
of  converting  them  into  slaves  and  selling  them  for  exportation 
to  the  slave  traders. 

Such  an  expedition  could  not  fail  to  attract  the 
attention  and  sympathy  of  the  Church  Missionary 
Society,  who  obtained  permission  for  two  of  its  repre- 
sentatives to  accompany  the   ships,   so  as  to  obtain 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         51 

information  with  a  view  to  establishing  a  Christian 
mission  among  the  natives  of  the  Niger  district. 

The  committee  wisely  selected  for  this  duty  the 
Rev.  J.  F.  Schon,  a  very  able  missionary,  who  during 
his  ten  years  at  Sierra  Leone  had  acquired  a  special 
knowledge  of  native  languages ;  and  as  his  companion 
they  chose  the  young  catechist,  Mr.  Samuel  Crowther, 
of  Fourah  Bay  College.  This  would  be  deeply  interest- 
ing news  to  both,  but  one  can  imagine  the  palpitations 
of  delight  with  which  the  younger  man  would  hasten 
home  to  tell  his  wife  what  had  happened  that  day. 
With  that  sincere  and  ever-present  humility  of  his 
nature,  Crowther  felt  keenly  his  unworthiness  of  such 
a  distinction,  and  doubtless  he  prayed  without  ceasing 
that  it  might  prove  a  real  service  to  his  beloved  Africa. 

This  event  also  brought  him  into  intimate  touch 
with  Mr.  Schon,  the  commencement  of  a  life-long 
friendship.  It  was  a  little  disappointing  to  both  that 
they  could  not  travel  on  the  same  ship  together, 
Mr.  Schon  being  appointed  to  the  Wilberforce  and 
Crowther  to  the  Soudan.  In  saying  good-bye  to  wife 
and  children,  they  little  thought  how  disastrous  would 
be  the  issue  of  their  journeyings  and  how  many  valu- 
able lives  would  be  sacrificed. 

The  journals  of  Mr.  Schon  are  very  graphic,  and  his 
experienced  eye  evidently  took  in  the  situation  and 
saw  the  difficulties  and  possibilities  alike  of  future 
work,  as  they  pushed  slowly  up  the  river.  His  pro- 
ficiency as  a  linguist  also  enabled  him  to  take  notes  of 
the  languages  of  the  people,  of  which  afterwards  he 
made  good  use.    The  story  of  his^sufferings,  as  one  by 


52         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

one  the  fever  laid  them  low,  until  scarcely  any  Euro- 
peans save  himself  survived  to  manage  the  vessel,  is 
a  recital  sad  enough. 

But  our  immediate  interest  is  with  Crowther,  who 
also  dihgently  kept  a  journal,  full  of  word  pictures  of 
a  vivid  and  personal  nature.  It  was  his  first  experience 
of  the  world  beyond  and  behind  the  coast  ;  and  it  was 
working,  all  unconsciously  to  him,  in  preparing  him 
for  the  government  of  a  huge  diocese  in  the  days  to 
come.  The  tears  of  separation  from  Mrs.  Crowther 
and  his  family  are  still  upon  his  cheeks  as  he  takes  up 
his  pen  to  make  the  first  entry  in  his  diary  on  board : 

To-day  about  eleven  o'clock  the  Soudan  got  under  way  for 
the  Niger,  the  highway  into  the  heart  of  Africa.  She  was  soon 
followed  by  the  Wilberforce,  which  took  her  in  tow  in  order  to 
save  fuel.  When  I  looked  back  on  the  colony  in  which  I  had 
spent  nineteen  years — the  happiest  part  of  my  life,  because 
there  I  was  brought  acquainted  with  the  saving  knowledge  of 
Jesus  Christ,  leaving  my  wife,  who  was  near  her  confinement, 
and  four  children  behind — I  could  not  but  feel  pain  and  some 
anxiety  for  a  time  at  the  separation.  May  the  Lord,  who  has 
been  my  guide  from  my  youth  up  till  now,  keep  them  and  me, 
and  make  me  neither  barren  nor  unfruitful  in  His  service  ! 

He  begins  to  work  on  his  vocabulary  of  African 
languages,  but  gives  it  up,  as  sea-sickness  has  made 
him  feel  so  ill ;  but  we  find  him  down  in  the  steerage, 
joining  in  a  Bible-class.  He  soon  meets  with  a  little 
misadventure  which  might  have  been  serious : 

July  ID.  While  we  were  at  dinner  to-day  the  glass  called 
"  the  bull's  eye  "  fell  from  its  fastening  on  my  head  and  then 
on  two  plates  in  which  I  was  taking  my  dinner,  and  dashed 
them  to  pieces.  Providentially  this  heavy  glass,  weighing 
about  five  pounds,  did  not  fall  perpendicularly  on  me.  At 
night  also  my  hammock,  in  consequence  of  its  not  being 
properly  fastened,  gave  way  at  the  foot,  when  I  fell  and  got 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         53 

a  slight  stroke  on  the  head.  Had  the  lash  given  way  from 
the  head  of  the  hammock  I  should  have  suffered  seriously.  I 
mention  these  trifling  circumstances,  as  without  God's  watch- 
ful care  over  us  how  soon  may  we,  by  such  small  accidents, 
be  humbled  to  the  dust. 

Arriving  off  Cape  Coast  Castle  they  went  ashore, 
and  here  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  meet  with  that 
able  Wesley  an  missionary  the  Rev.  T.  B.  Freeman, 
who  received  him  with  marked  kindness,  took  him 
into  his  Hbrary,  telHng  him  that  he  might  use  what 
books  he  liked.    A  great  treat  to  Crowther  ! 

Wandering  among  the  monuments  in  the  graveyard 
of  the  Castle,  he  made  a  note  of  the  tablet  erected  to 
the  Rev.  Philip  Quaque,  a  native  who  was  sent  to 
England  by  the  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  1754,  baptized  at  St.  Mary's,  Islington, 
7  January,  1759,  and  returned  fully  ordained  as  chap- 
lain to  the  factory,  and  died,  after  many  trials  and 
disappointments,  in  1816.  This  tablet  was  naturally 
of  enthralling  interest  to  Crowther.  When  the  expe- 
dition was  over  he  referred  to  the  incident  in  a  letter, 
in  which  he  says  : 

Who  the  individual  was  I  know  not,  neither  have  I  ever 
heard  anything  of  him,  except  from  this  monument.  What 
attracted  my  attention  was  that  he  was  a  native  of  that  place 
— sent  to  England  for  education,  received  Holy  Orders,  and 
was  employed  in  his  own  country  upwards  of  fifty  years  ! 

A  few  days  afterwards  they  were  on  board  again, 
crossing  soon  the  dangerous  bar  of  the  mouth  of  the 
Niger,  and  found  the  other  two  vessels  waiting  their 
arrival.    We  take  up  his  journal  and  read  : 

Aug.  15.  Lord's  Day.  This  day  we  had  the  pleasure  of 
commemorating  the  death  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 


54    SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

Christ  by  receiving  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 
administered  by  the  Rev.  J.  Miiller,  the  chaplain  of  the  expe- 
dition. Seven  of&cers,  three  coloured  men,  and  the  captain 
himself,  eleven  in  number,  surrounded  the  Table  of  the  Lord, 
in  deep  humility,  contrition  for  sin,  and  earnest  desire  for 
amendment  of  life.  He  that  humhleth  himself  shall  be  exalted. 
We  always  esteemed  our  captain  and  his  ofi&cers  as  honour- 
able, but  we  did  much  more  so  when  we  saw  them  humbling 
themselves  before  the  Lord.  May  this  refreshing  feast 
strengthen  us  to  serve  the  Lord  our  God  more  actively  than 
we  have  done  before  ! 

They  soon  got  under  way  again,  and  steaming  up 
the  Niger  discovered  that  they  were  surrounded  on 
all  sides  by  thick  mangrove  trees.  He  tells  us  signifi- 
cantly that  while  everybody  seemed  pleased  that  the 
navigation  of  the  river  had  actually  begun,  some  could 
not  help  also  remarking  that  they  believed  they  were 
going  to  their  graves.  Here  is  a  view  of  the  Niger  as 
Crowther  saw  it  for  the  first  time : 

Aug.  21.  We  were  gradually  introduced  from  the  man- 
groves into  a  forest  of  palm  and  bamboo  trees,  embellished 
with  large  cotton  trees  of  curious  shapes,  interspersed  among 
them  on  both  sides  of  the  river,  and  with  other  lofty  trees  of 
beautiful  foliage.  All  hands  were  invited  on  deck  by  this  new 
scenery,  and  the  day  was  spent  with  great  interest  at  this 
novel  appearance.  We  passed  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
several  plantations  of  bananas,  plaintains,  sugar  cane,  cocoa, 
or  Kalahe,  as  called  by  the  Americans,  and  now  and  then 
some  huts  with  natives  in  them.  The  natives  were  so  timid 
that  they  several  times  pulled  their  canoes  ashore  and  ran 
away  into  the  bush  and  peeped  at  the  steamer  with  fear  and 
great  astonishment.  We  got  opposite  a  village  containing 
about  seven  or  eight  huts,  where  the  inhabitants,  in  very  great 
earnest,  armed  themselves  with  sticks  and  country  billhooks 
and  ran  along  the  bank  to  a  neighbouring  village,  to  apprise 
the  villagers  of  the  dreadful  approach  of  our  wonderful  float- 
ing and  self-moving  habitation.  These  villagers  also  followed 
the  example  of  their  informers.    Having  armed  themselves  in 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         55 

like  manner,  they  betook  themselves  to  the  next  village  to 
bring  them  the  same  tidings.  When  they  were  encouraged  to 
come  on  board,  it  was  difficult  to  find  persons  brave  enough 
to  do  so.  Those  who  ventured  to  come  near  took  care  not  to 
go  further  from  shore  than  the  distance  of  a  leap  from  their 
canoe,  in  case  there  should  be  cause  for  it.  The  captain,  per- 
ceiving some  of  them  inclined  to  come  off,  stopped  the  engine 
and  persuaded  them  to  come  near  us.  In  the  meantime  we 
had  come  opposite  to  a  large  village,  into  which  all  the  former 
villagers  had  collected  themselves. 

There  was  a  little  boy  who  acted  as  their  interpreter  be- 
cause he  understood  two  English  words,  "  Yes  "  and  "  Tabac," 
which  he  had  picked  up  at  some  place.  They  constantly  told 
him  something  to  tell  us,  but  he  could  not  say  anything  else 
besides  his  "  Yes  "  and  "  Tabac."  After  much  hesitation,  a 
large  canoe  came  off  with  no  less  than  forty-three  persons  in 
it.  My  expectation  was  greatly  raised  when  I  found  among 
them  a  Yoruba  boy  of  about  thirteen  years  of  age,  from  whom 
I  thought  we  could  get  some  information  about  the  people  ; 
but  the  poor  little  fellow  had  almost  lost  his  native  language 
through  his  lonely  situation  among  them.  He  could  not  even 
understand  me  very  well  when  I  asked  about  his  father, 
mother,  and  his  own  town.  He  must  have  travelled  hundreds 
of  miles  before  he  got  into  this  secret  part  of  Africa. 

As  they  proceeded  up  the  stream  they  met  with 
other  natives  who  had,  apparently,  been  in  touch  with 
the  white  man  before,  seeing  that  they  were  dressed 
in  old  soldiers'  and  drummers'  coats,  wearing  battered 
black  hats,  but  no  shirt  or  trousers.  From  another 
village  the  natives  came  in  their  canoes,  laden  with 
fruits  to  exchange  for  rum,  for  which  they  frantically 
called  "  Vlolo  !  Vlolo  !  "  and  applying  their  hands 
to  their  mouths  to  show  what  they  wanted.  As  the 
captain  would  not  comply  with  their  demand  they 
paddled  back  again  in  high  dudgeon. 

Here  is  Crowther's  account  of  a  visit  to  a  native 
potentate,  who  was  interviewed  by  Mr.  Schon  in  the 


56         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

other  steamer.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  rather  re- 
markable personage  in  his  way,  and  no  doubt  exercised 
considerable  influence  in  the  district. 

Aug.  28.  I  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  Mr.  Schon  on 
board  the  Albert,  where  the  treaty  was  making  with  King  Obi, 
who  was  on  board  very  early  this  morning.  I  did  not  see  the 
King  in  his  best  dress  yesterday,  the  day  he  introduced  him- 
self. He  is  a  middle-sized  man  between  the  age  of  forty  and 
fifty,  his  countenance  is  soft,  and  he  appears  to  be  of  a  peaceful 
temper.  To-day  his  dress,  as  I  was  told,  was  very  plain. 
He  appeared  in  calico  trousers  of  a  country  make,  and  an 
English-made  jacket  of  the  same  stuff  ;  it  would  have  been 
more  respectable  had  they  been  cleaner,  especially  as  he  had 
no  shirt  on.  He  had  on  his  neck  three  strings  of  pipe  coral, 
as  large  as  a  man's  small  finger,  two  of  which  were  short  and 
close  to  the  neck,  while  the  third  extended  to  the  navel.  As 
far  as  we  could  count,  from  the  feet  of  his  trousers,  when  he 
moved,  each  of  his  feet  about  the  ankles  was  ornamented  with 
eight  strings  of  coral,  a  dull  old  brass  button  closing  each 
string,  and  two  leopard's  teeth  attached  to  the  strings  of 
coral  at  each  foot.  He  had  on  a  red  cap,  over  which  was  a 
marine's  cap  decorated  with  brass  scales  and  other  pieces  of 
coloured  cords.  His  Majesty  was  not  a  little  proud  of  this 
equipment  from  the  commander  of  the  expedition.  He 
marched  about  the  quarter  deck,  with  apparent  satisfaction 
at  having  white  men  for  his  friends.  He  consented  to  the 
treaty,  and  made  a  proclamation  the  same  day  among  his 
people  for  the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade  in  his  country. 

One  of  Crowther's  characteristics  was  a  saving 
sense  of  humour.  He  could  always  enjoy  a  joke, 
and  many  of  these  entries  in  his  journals  show  how 
he  rehshed  the  ridiculous  aspect  of  these  natives  in 
their  nondescript  European  costume,  and  their  strut- 
ting self-importance.  The  beauty  of  natural  scenery 
always  appealed  to  him,  and  though  these  villages 
under  the  palms  and  mangrove  trees  were,  in  a  sense, 
the  common  objects  of  his  country,  they  gladdened 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER    57 

his  eye  as  the  boat  pursued  its  way  up  the  Niger, 
But  from  time  to  time  the  gross  ignorance  and 
spiritual  darkness  of  heathenism  presented  itself  to 
his  mind  :  its  prevalent  misery  suggested  many  grave 
thoughts.  All  this  we  find  reflected  in  some  entries 
which  he  made  in  his  journal  at  this  time. 

There  was  another  circumstance  which  damped  my  spirits 
and  tarnished  my  amusement  at  the  pleasing  sight  of  the 
villages  above  mentioned.  Among  the  spectators  of  our 
steamers  was  an  old  woman,  who  was  bowing  down  to  the 
ground,  kissing  her  hands  and  then  looking  up  with  great 
seriousness,  as  if  asking  for  some  protection  from  the  gods. 
Whether  she  was  performing  this  act  of  worship  to  the  figure 
in  front  of  the  ship  or  to  the  steamer  itself  was  not  certain  ; 
however,  it  sufficiently  shows  into  what  degree  of  superstition 
these  people  are  sunk.  Moreover,  we  had  to  witness  the  naked 
bodies  of  our  fellow-creatures  floating  along  one  side,  or 
washed  about  the  banks  of  this  splendid  river.  This  is  the 
third  time  we  have  seen  such  unpleasant  sights  since  we  have 
entered  this  river.  If  they  were  slaves  whose  circumstances 
could  not  allow  them  a  burial,  it  is  much  more  to  be  lamented. 

Soon  after  these  words  were  written  the  expedition 
sustained  a  severe  loss  in  the  accidental  death  of 
their  Ingalla  interpreter,  upon  whose  services  they 
had  chiefly  to  depend  in  dealing  with  these  people. 
He  had  fallen  overboard,  and  was  carried  away  by 
the  stream  and  drowned  before  any  help  could  come. 
This  sad  event,  coupled  with  the  sickness  which 
began  to  prevail,  had  naturally  a  depressing  effect 
upon  the  crew,  and  Crowther  did  his  best  to  hearten 
the  sinking  spirits  of  his  fellow-travellers.  We 
find  him  reading  to  the  sick  men,  and  under  date 
9  September  he  makes  a  note  that  in  his  presence 
the  steward  of  the  ship  breathed  his  last,  he  hoped 


58         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

"  trusting  in  Jesus,"  whom  Crowther  had  kept  con- 
tinually before  his  eyes  as  his  only  refuge.  In  the 
forenoon  the  poor  fellow  was  buried  on  a  small  island 
in  the  river.  Day  by  day  their  troubles  were  in- 
creasing, and  whenever  they  got  a  chance  of  ex- 
changing notes  with  the  other  vessels  it  was  to  tell 
each  other  a  rather  woeful  tale. 


This  morning  the  Albert  and  the  Wilberfovce  came  up  to  us 
where  we  were  getting  wood.  Captain  B.  Allen  immediately 
came  to  his  ship.  He  took  all  his  unexpected  afflictions  with 
Christian  resignation.  I  went  with  Mr.  Sidney,  one  of  the 
officers,  to  a  village  on  the  top  of  the  hill,  below  which  we 
were  wooding.  These  villagers  are  refugees  from  the  town  of 
Addu  Kuddu,  on  the  right  side  of  the  river  at  the  confluence, 
having  been  driven  away  by  the  Fulatahs.  From  the  top  of 
the  hill  you  may  see  three  other  villages  at  the  foot.  The  one 
on  the  top  of  the  hill  contains  two  hundred  inhabitants,  the 
four  together  contain  eight  hundred,  at  an  average.  The 
people  are  Kakandas.  As  I  could  understand  a  little,  I  men- 
tioned to  them  the  design  of  the  expedition,  at  which  they 
were  transported  with  joy.  One  of  them  was  so  confident 
that  he  wished  to  go  with  the  white  men  altogether.  I  asked 
them  whether  they  would  like  me  to  stay  among  them  and 
teach  them  about  God.    They  all  answered  in  the  af&rmative. 

The  chief  of  this  village,  an  old  man  about  sixty,  had  been 
sacrificing  a  fowl  to  his  idol  this  morning.  The  blood  he 
sprinkled  on  his  forehead,  to  which  were  attached  a  few  of  the 
fowl's  feathers.  His  idol  is  rather  difficult  to  describe,  as  it 
was  a  mixture  of  some  sort  of  grass  or  palm  leaves,  clay,  and 
broken  pieces  of  calabashes,  to  which  feathers  of  fowls  were 
fastened  by  means  of  blood.  I  shook  my  head,  indicating 
that  it  was  not  good,  at  the  same  time  pointing  my  finger  to 
heaven,  directing  him  to  worship  the  only  true  God.  He  did 
not  pay  much  attention.  They  all  took  fright  at  Mr.  Sidney's 
instrument  to  take  the  distance,  but  their  fears  soon  subsided. 
Their  huts  are  built  in  the  same  form  as  those  of  Iddah — a 
circular  form,  and  they  are  so  low  and  close  to  each  other 
that  if  a  fire  should  break  out  in  one,  the  whole  village  of 
about  sixty  huts  would  be  consumed  in  a  moment. 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         59 

It  would  appear  that  the  expedition  kept  constantly 
in  touch  with  the  natives  on  the  banks  of  the  river, 
in  order  to  keep  up  the  supply  of  fuel  for  the  stokeholes 
of  the  ships.  They  sent  men  ashore  and  cut  the  wood, 
where  it  was  possible  giving  some  consideration  to 
the  inhabitants,  and  especially  when  they  showed 
themselves  willing  to  help  in  supplying  this  indis- 
pensable requisite.  It  may  be  mentioned  here  that 
Crowther  afterwards  attributed  the  terrible  loss  of 
life  on  board,  in  this  particular  expedition,  to  the 
practice  of  storing  green  wood  in  the  hold  of  the 
vessels,  which  in  progress  of  rapid  decomposition 
soon  filled  the  ship  with  malarial  germs  of  fever. 
Doubtless  this  hypothesis  was  a  correct  one  ;  at  any 
rate,  on  future  expeditions  the  suggestion  of  Crowther 
that  a  supply  of  dry  wood  for  the  engines  should  be 
towed  after  the  ships  in  barges  evidently  prevented 
a  recurrence  of  the  fever. 

The  payment  of  the  natives  was,  of  course,  made  in 
cowries,  the  current  coin  of  the  country,  and  in  the 
circumstances  of  so  much  illness  being  on  board 
Crowther  had  to  take  these  business  details  in  his 
charge.     As  an  instance  we  take  the  following  : 

As  I  was  busy  purchasing  for  the  purser,  who  himself  is 
now  laid  up  with  fever,  I  was  robbed  of  some  handkerchiefs 
with  which  I  was  bartering,  for  there  were  many  people  about 
me  in  the  ships.  I  must  say  that  this  people,  speaking  gene- 
rally, are  honest,  and  I  rather  wonder  that  such  acts  of  dis- 
honesty were  not  more  common  with  them,  as  they  were 
exposed  to  many  temptations  on  board  the  ship,  where  many 
things  were  lying  about.  We  buy  of  them  by  certain  measures 
of  cowries,  which  we  told  them  contained  a  certain  number ; 
but  as  they  would  take  the  trouble  of  counting  thousands  of 


6o         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

cowries,  placing  them  in  heaps  of  one  or  two  hundred,  they 
very  honestly  returned  the  overplus,  which,  of  course,  we 
never  took  from  them.  They  count  by  fives  with  the  same 
quickness  as  we  count  by  twos.  Under  a  pretence  of  distrust, 
we  counted  these  heaps  of  one  or  two  hundred  after  them, 
which  we  always  found  to  be  quite  right.  If  there  should  be 
found  one  dishonest  person  among  these  people,  that  should 
not  be  the  reason  of  charging  the  whole  with  guilt.  For  their 
articles  they  charge  most  extravagantly  ;  for  what  they  want 
a  thousand  cowries — the  most  reasonable  price — they  will  at 
first  ask  seven  or  eight  thousand,  and  if  anyone  is  not  aware 
of  this  trick  he  will  soon  empty  his  shipload  of  cowries  for 
their  canoe  cargo.  So  fond  are  these  people  of  cowries,  that 
when  they  would  not  take  a  handkerchief  of  fivepence  value, 
they  would  readily  take  one  hundred  and  fifty  cowries, 
scarcely  valuing  twopence  farthing,  at  the  rate  of  eight  hun- 
dred and  sixty  cowries  for  a  shilling.  They  love  to  give 
presents  because  they  expect  to  receive  twice  as  much.  They 
are  very  fond  of  looking-glasses. 

It  strikes  one  that  these  characteristics  are  ex- 
tremely human,  and  that  there  are  white  men  and 
women  with  all  the  accomplishments  of  civilization 
and  some  of  the  benefits  of  Christianity  who  would 
have  to  confess  to  a  share  of  the  same  weaknesses. 
These  simple  black  folk  little  dreamed  that  both 
cowries  and  looking-glasses  were  quite  as  much 
sought  after  in  the  wonderland  from  which  the  ships 
came. 

At  this  point  the  vessels  were  getting  so  full  of 
invaHds  that  it  was  resolved  that  the  Wilherforce 
and  Soudan  should  carry  this  precious  cargo  of  sick 
folk  back  to  the  sea  ;  but  Captain  Trotter  in  the 
Albert  decided  to  push  on  a  little  further,  and  here 
Crowther  was  able  to  join  Mr.  Schon,  to  their  mutual 
satisfaction.  When  they  reached  a  place  called  Gori 
they  went  ashore,  and  Crowther,  in  describing  an 
interview  with  the  chief,  draws  attention  to  the  curious 
custom  of  "  the  King's  mouth." 

We  were  led  to  the  house  of  the  chief,  where  the  gentlemen 
of  the  expedition  were  seated  on  mats  in  the  courtyard,  about 


SOME   OF   THE   BISHOP'S   OLD    FRIENDS 

Rev.  J.  F.  Schon  Rev.  J.  Br.-\dfokd  Whiting  Bishop  Weeks 

Rev.  J.  Boyle  Rev.  Henry  Venn  Archdeacon  Henry  Johnson 

Mr.  Sydney  Gedge        Dr.  R.  N.  Cust  {Photo,  RussiU  &■  Sons)    Sir  Tho.m.as  Fowei.l  Buxton 


To  face  page  6i 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         6i 

twelve  feet  by  eight,  and  formed  by  five  huts  in  the  shape  of 
casks  placed  in  an  oval  form. 

The  chief  is  about  seventy  years  of  age.  He  appeared  to 
have  been  so  frightened  at  the  sudden  appearance  of  the 
white  men  that  he  could  not  speak  a  word,  and  was  thought 
to  be  deaf  and  dumb.  There  was  one  who  acted  as  his  mouth 
(or  speaker),  who  answered  with  great  reserve  every  question 
put  to  him,  especially  such  as  related  to  the  slave  trade.  He 
denied  knowing  the  number  of  slaves  brought  to  market 
to-day,  or  that  they  were  the  Attah's  subjects.  The  heat 
from  the  crowd  by  which  we  were  blocked  up  in  this  narrow 
spot  was  suffocating  ;  besides,  the  noise  was  so  great,  not 
only  from  the  spectators,  but  the  headmen  themselves,  that 
it  was  almost  enough  to  deafen  anyone  else.  When  one  head- 
man calls  out  for  silence,  it  takes  hiin  nearly  five  minutes  to 
complete  his  palavering  with  the  people,  and  when  he  is  on 
the  point  of  holding  his  tongue  he  is  never  in  want  of  three 
or  four  seconders  who  also  must  scold  the  people,  so  that 
instead  of  obtaining  quietness  both  the  headman  and  the 
people  make  more  noise  and  create  greater  confusion  than 
ever,  till  perhaps  after  a  quarter  of  an  hour  there  is  silence 
for  a  time. 

Negotiations  under  such  circumstances  were  not 
easy,  and  especially  when  almost  all  the  visitors  are 
absolutely  ignorant  of  the  language.  Mr.  Schon  was, 
of  course,  a  good  linguist,  and  during  the  expedition 
was  able  to  reduce  to  writing  and  grammatical  form 
some  of  the  dialects  of  the  Niger  tribes  ;  but  it  is 
evident  that  Crowther  had  to  be  the  principal  spokes- 
man, and  his  kinship  as  a  negro  no  doubt  gave  the 
people  a  certain  confidence  in  listening  to  him. 

When  they  reached  Egga,  an  infragrant  spot,  the 
captain  and  officers  had  an  important  interview  with 
Rogang  the  chief,  a  person  of  great  authority,  and 
Crowther  took  some  pains  to  explain  to  this  black 
ruler  the  objects  of  the  expedition,  from  a  commercial 
and  religious  standpoint.     He  tells  us  : 


62         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

After  a  long  walk  through  narrow  and  crooked  streets  we 
came  to  Rogang's  palace,  and  in  about  half  an  hour's  time 
he  made  his  appearance.  After  a  hearty  salutation,  by  shaking 
of  hands  in  the  name  of  the  king  of  the  ship,  and  telling  him 
the  reasons  why  the  ship  could  not  then  come  near,  I  com- 
menced my  message  : 

That  the  Queen  of  the  country  called  Great  Britain  has 
sent  the  king  of  the  ship  to  all  the  chiefs  of  Africa  to  make 
treaties  with  them  to  give  up  war  and  the  slave  trade — to  all 
their  people  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  and  to  mind  all  that 
the  white  people  say  to  them,  as  they  wish  to  teach  them 
many  things,  and  particularly  the  Book  which  God  gives, 
which  will  make  all  men  happy.  I  added  likewise  that  there 
are  many  Nufi,  Haussa,  and  Yoruba  people  in  the  white  man's 
country  who  have  been  liberated  from  the  Portuguese  and 
Spanish  slave  ships,  that  they  are  now  living  like  white  men, 
that  they  pray  to  God  and  learn  His  Book,  and  consequently 
are  living  a  happier  life  than  when  they  were  in  their  own 
country,  and  much  better  off  than  their  country  people  are 
at  present.  To  this  many  of  them  said  that  they  could  judge 
of  their  happy  state  merely  by  my  appearance.  I  added, 
moreover,  that  our  country  people  in  White  Man's  country 
had  written  a  letter  to  the  Queen  who  lives  in  Great  Britain, 
expressing  their  wish  to  return  to  their  country  if  she  would 
send  white  men  along  with  them  ;  but  the  Queen,  who  loves 
us  all  as  her  children,  told  them  to  stop  till  she  had  first  sent 
her  ships  to  the  chiefs  of  Africa,  to  persuade  them  to  give  up 
war  and  the  slave  trade  ;  and  if  they  consented  to  her  pro- 
posals she  would  gladly  grant  the  request  of  our  country 
people. 

The  result  of  this  elaborate  palaver  seems  to  have 
been  that,  although  the  astute  Rogang  was  on  the 
whole  favourably  impressed,  he  took  Crowther  aside 
and  confided  to  him  that  nothing  final  could  be 
arranged,  as  he  himself  was  only  a  vassal  of  Sumo 
Sariki,  the  Fulatah  King  of  Rabba,  who  must  be 
consulted.  Clearly  Rogang  stood  in  terror  of  his 
superior.  After  several  more  interviews  Crowther, 
with  much  diplomacy,  obtained  a  mass  of  useful  in- 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER         63 

formation,  and  subsequently  had  a  private  consultation 
with  Rogang  on  his  own  account.  This  interview 
throws  some  light  upon  the  importation  of  strong 
drink  into  Africa,  a  practice  which  has  been  such  an 
unspeakable  evil  ever  since.  It  was,  he  observed  by 
these  entries  in  his  journal,  that  Crowther  found  these 
poor  natives  were  not  only  being  drugged  with  vile 
stuff,  but  were  cruelly  deceived  by  those  who  traded 
upon  the  alcoholic  craze  they  had  created. 

As  I  wished  to  buy  some  articles  for  curiosity,  and  the 
people  were  generally  so  much  about  me  that  I  could  scarcely 
move,  I  sent  the  interpreter  to  ask  Rogang  if  he  would  permit 
me  to  buy  what  I  wanted  in  his  porch — an  entrance  leading 
from  the  street  to  his  yard — where  only  a  few  persons  might 
be  admitted.  He  sent  word  back  that  he  would  not  have  had 
the  least  objection  to  do  so,  but  he  was  afraid  lest  the  Fulatahs 
should  say  that  he  had  given  his  house  for  a  market  to  the 
white  men.  In  private  conversation  Rogang  asked  the  inter- 
preter if  he  had  rum  to  sell — a  bottle  or  two  of  which  he  would 
be  very  glad  to  buy.  He  said  that  the  rum  which  comes  to 
them  from  the  coast  is  almost  converted  to  water,  yet  they 
paid  four  to  five  thousand  cowries  a  bottle.  My  Yoruba 
visitors,  being  Mohammedans,  were  surprised  to  see  me,  as 
they  considered  me  an  English  Mallam,  drink  country  beer 
made  of  Guinea  corn — a  stuff  which  is  held  in  great  abhorrence 
by  the  Mohammedans,  yet  they  think  it  not  contrary  to  the 
precepts  of  the  Koran  to  drink  any  kind  of  spirits.  When 
they  came  on  board  they  asked  me  to  give  them  some  rum  to 
drink,  if  it  were  but  a  small  drop.  As  I  took  no  grog,  I  told 
them  that  I  had  none.  At  leaving,  my  Mohammedan  friends 
did  not  forget,  among  many  other  things,  to  remind  me,  when 
we  came  this  way  again,  not  to  forget  to  bring  plenty  of 
dollars  and  a  large  quantity  of  rum. 

I  have  just  one  account  of  this  kind  to  relate.  As  we  were 
lying  near  the  village  of  the  refugees  on  the  hills  a  Nufi  Moham- 
medan, who  was  returning  from  Keri  market,  came  alongside. 
He  spoke  a  little  Haussa.  As  he  made  himself  very  friendly, 
Mr.  Waters,  the  purser,  treated  him  and  his  wife  with  great 
kindness.     He  took  them  down  to  the  gun  room,  gave  them 


64        SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

biscuits,  and  set  a  decanter  of  wine  before  them.  Whether 
the  woman  had  taken  any  wine  before  I  came  in  or  not  I  could 
not  tell.  Her  husband  placed  the  biscuits  before  her,  and  he 
himself  took  possession  of  the  wine.  He  had  taken  some 
before  I  went  in.  As  it  was  time  for  them  to  go,  he  was  de- 
sired to  do  so.  He  then  took  a  glass  of  wine  and  asked  me 
if  Mr.  Waters  could  not  supply  him  with  some  for  his  journey. 
He  was  answered  in  the  negative.  He  again  took  another 
glass.  When  he  was  upon  the  point  of  rising,  still  squeezing 
the  decanter  as  tight  as  he  could,  he  took  another  glass. 
Mr.  Waters  and  the  woman  had  gone  up  and  I  was  upon  the 
ladder,  thinking  as  there  was  no  person  in  the  cabin  he  would 
not  stay  any  longer.  When  he  was  rising  he  took  another 
glass.  As  I  was  going  up,  the  servant  who  stood  on  the  ladder 
said,  "  Mr.  Crowther,  he  is  taking  another  glass  ;  he  will 
finish  the  wine." 

After  he  had  taken  this  he  came  up  to  us.  It  is  difficult 
to  say  in  what  state  of  mind  this  man  left  the  cabin,  whether 
with  gratitude  and  satisfaction  for  the  kind  treatment,  which 
he  greatly  abused,  or  with  regret  that  he  could  not  get  a  supply 
of  wine  for  his  journey.  He  said  he  belonged  to  Kattam 
Karifi,  a  village  on  the  Niger.  He  was  told  to  go  and  get 
plenty  of  wood  ready  against  our  coming,  so  he  left  the  ship 
that  evening  quite  warm  at  his  canoe  crew.  He  had  two 
slaves  on  board.  Early  next  morning,  contrary  to  our  ex- 
pectation, this  man  was  seen  alongside,  and  he  soon  found  his 
way  into  the  ship,  but  to-day  he  met  with  an  ill  reception,  as 
he  was  not  allowed  to  stay  on  board  five  minutes. 

The  fever  now  began  to  claim  its  victinris  on  board 
with  such  rapid  strides  that  the  journal  is  a  succession 
of  sad  records  of  sickness  and  death.  That  brave, 
high-spirited  officer,  Captain  Trotter,  has  at  last 
taken  to  his  cabin,  and  Captain  B.  Allen  is  also  lying 
in  a  most  dangerous  condition.  The  only  officer 
left  to  navigate  the  ship  is  Mr.  WiUie,  the  mate. 
Dr.  Stanger  has  had  to  take  charge  of  the  engines. 
At  ten  o'clock  at  night  the  captain's  clerk  takes  ad- 
vantage of   the  darkness  to  fling  himself    overboard 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER  65 

in  his  delirium.  A  black  sailor,  however,  swims  after 
him  and  brings  him  back  to  be  roped  down  in  his 
hammock ;  this  precaution  has  also  now  to  be  taken 
with  the  second  engineer,  who  is  fast  losing  his  wits. 
Next  morning,  however,  the  latter  struggles  free  and 
leaps  into  the  stream  and  is  seen  no  more.  Dr.  Mc- 
William,  in  this  emergency,  takes  control  of  the  vessel. 
Mr,  Kingdom  dies  suddenly,  and  is  buried  by  Mr. 
Schon  by  the  marshy  bankside,  and  then  drifting 
dangerously  down  the  river  they  meet  with  the 
Ethiope,  an  emergency  craft  bringing  news  of  the 
terrible  mortality  on  Crowther's  old  ship,  the  Soiidan, 
which  has  included  all  three  of  the  medical  men  and 
Mr.  Waters,  the  purser.  But  the  toll  of  precious  life 
is  not  yet  exhausted.  A  few  days  afterwards  a 
marine  named  Cole  dies,  and  is  buried  immediately ; 
Mr.  Willie  follows,  and  the  purser's  steward  expires 
in  an  hour.  Then  Captain  B.  Allen  passes  away,  and 
is  carried  to  his  grave  by  the  weak  remnants  of  his 
ship's  company.  Within  the  space  of  a  week  three 
other  officers  and  a  marine  die  and  are  buried. 

This  return  of  the  Albert,  running  almost  unguided 
down  the  swift  current  of  the  Niger,  amid  risks  on 
every  hand,  its  decks  strewn  with  dead  and  dying 
men,  the  overworked  doctor  managing  the  engines 
from  a  book  on  machinery  he  finds  in  the  dead  cap- 
tain's room,  having  to  desert  his  levers  to  rush  where 
some  poor  fellow  is  screaming  in  delirium :  was  not 
this  homeward  voyage  a  tragedy  indeed  ?  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  Crowther  seems  to  have  been  the  only 
man  untouched  by  the  fever,  and  he  kept  his  head  as 


66         SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER 

well  as  his  health  through  it  all,  working  anywhere, 
and  at  anything  to  save  the  situation.  Poor  Mr.  Schon, 
with  his  own  temples  throbbing  with  fever,  scrawls 
these  words  in  his  journal : 

Pain  of  body,  distress  of  mind,  weakness,  sobbing  and 
crying  surround  us  on  all  sides.  The  healthy,  if  so  they  may 
be  called,  are  more  like  walking  shadows  than  men  of  enter- 
prise. Truly  Africa  is  an  unhealthy  country  !  When  will  her 
redemption  draw  nigh  ?  All  human  skill  is  baffled,  all  human 
means  fall  short.  Forgive  us,  O  God,  if  on  them  we  have 
depended  and  been  forgetful  of  Thee,  and  let  the  light  of  Thy 
countenance  again  shine  upon  us  that  we  may  be  healed  ! 

This  piteous  cry  of  a  brave  man  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at,  when  we  read  that  on  a  Sunday  morning, 
while  conducting  service  on  the  quarter-deck,  he  had 
the  body  of  a  dead  sailor  behind  him,  in  front  of  him 
the  carpenters  were  busy  making  a  coffin,  and  in  the 
forepart  yonder  seven  men  were  lying  delirious  with 
fever  !  Out  of  a  complement  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  Europeans,  the  expedition  lost  forty-two  within 
two  months. 

When  the  news  reached  England  there  was  universal 
grief  ;  such  a  disaster  came  as  a  shock  to  the  people, 
and  it  is  not  surprising  that  pubHc  opinion  would 
not  risk  a  repetition  of  the  attempt  for  twelve  years. 
And  yet  something  had  been  done,  and  the  expedition 
had  not  been  all  failure.  The  expenditure  of  human 
life  was  heavy  indeed,  and  for  this  reason  the  ships 
had  to  return  perforce  without  reaching  their  destined 
point.  But  the  project  had  paved  the  way  for  other 
pioneers  ;  its  very  sufferings  were  the  school  in  which 
the  lessons  of  experience  had  been  painfully  but  use- 


SCHOOLMASTER  AND  EXPLORER    67 

fully  taught.  It  led  to  a  better  knowledge  of  the 
native  tribes  and  the  future  establishment  of  the 
Niger  Mission  ;  it  enabled  Mr.  Schon  to  compile 
a  valuable  vocabulary  of  the  different  tongues,  and 
it  added  some  fresh  geographical  knowledge  of  one 
of  the  waterways  of  the  world. 

But  in  addition  to  this,  these  journey ings  had  an 
immense  influence  on  the  life  and  character  of  Crowther. 
We  have  watched  him  closely  from  the  slave  market 
to  the  schoolmaster's  desk  ;  we  have  seen  him  pur- 
suing his  studies  with  eager  thirst  for  knowledge, 
and  across  the  dim  memory  of  many  years  his  earnest, 
thoughtful  face  seems  to  look  at  us,  with  that  longing 
gaze  of  his,  as  though  yearning  to  discern  the  finger 
of  God  in  his  life  history.  That  direction  came,  as 
we  have  seen,  to  what  at  first  seemed  a  pleasant 
voyage  of  discovery,  but  proved  ere  long  to  be  a 
furnace  of  affliction  to  all  concerned.  And  yet  the 
anguish  of  that  experience,  when  in  sight  of  other 
woes  the  iron  verily  entered  into  his  own  soul,  was 
not  unprofitable  to  one  who  was  destined  to  bear  such 
heavy  burdens  and  to  be  a  succourer  of  many. 


CHAPTER    III 

FROM   COLLEGE   TO   MISSION   FIELD 

WHEN  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Schon  wrote  his  long 
report  to  the  Church  Missionary  Society  on 
the  expedition  up  the  Niger  he  made  a  strong  point 
of  the  importance  of  a  native  ministry.  In  his  opinion 
one  of  the  lessons  which  that  ill-starred  enterprise 
had  taught  was  the  needless  waste  of  European 
life,  instead  of  utilizing  Africa's  own  sons  in  preaching 
the  Gospel  to  their  countrymen.  He  then  gave  these 
suggestions  a  practical  shape  by  recommending  the 
society  to  send  for  Crowther  to  England  for  ordination. 
Mr.  Schon  had  known  him  intimately,  and  his  ex- 
perience of  his  character  and  capacities  under  the 
trying  ordeal  of  this  expedition  supplied  ample  evi- 
dence to  justify  this  strong  recommendation.  It  is 
worth  while  to  transcribe  here  the  opinion  of  this 
experienced  missionary  respecting  his  young  and 
promising  companion.  On  26  June,  1841,  just  before 
their  sailing  for  the  Niger  he  writes  : 

The  association  of  Samuel  Crowther  with  me  has  proved 
beneficial  to  both.  He  becomes  much  interested  in  our 
labours  and  rendered  me  great  assistance.  I  have  no  hesita- 
tion in  saying  that  I  fully  believe  that,  by  God's  grace,  he 
will  render  to  the  mission  great  service. 

68 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD       69 

Again,  writing  from  the  Wilberforce  at  the  mouth 

of  the  Nun  River  on  11  August,  1841  : 

I  have  just  seen  Samuel  Crowther  from  the  Soudan,  and 
am  happy  to  say  that  he  is  very  well  and  anxious  to  get  into 
the  heart  of  Africa.  I  find  him  a  very  useful  man  and  wish 
much  to  have  more  of  his  company,  especially  when  we  once 
get  into  the  interior.  He  only  regrets,  with  myself,  that  he 
cannot  pursue  his  studies  as  much  as  he  wishes  ;  he  has, 
however,  lost  no  time.  He  copied  our  translations  and  reads 
the  Greek  Testament,  which  will  always  be  of  much  use  to  him. 

Still  more  to  the  point  is  another  letter,  addressed 

to  the  secretaries  in  London  on  10  September,  1841 : 

I  have  thought  much  about  the  propriety  of  Samuel 
Crowther's  returning  to  England  with  me  and  receiving 
ordination,  and  should  be  happy  to  learn  what  opinion  the 
Parent  Committee  may  form  of  this  plan  on  my  return  to 
Sierra  Leone.  Of  his  decided  piety  I  have  no  doubt ;  his 
studious  habits  and  anxiety  to  improve  himself  would,  after  a 
few  weeks'  attention,  qualify  him  in  other  respects.  He  is 
highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him,  and  his  love  to  his 
country  and  for  his  people  would  prevail  on  him  to  lay  him- 
self out  for  their  good.  The  committee  in  Sierra  Leone  was 
ever  in  favour  of  the  measure,  and  his  excellent  conduct  in 
this  expedition  can  only  raise  our  opinion  of  him. 

A   testimony   from   another   source   was  given   by 

the   Rev.   F.   Bultimam,   one  of  the  missionaries  at 

Sierra  Leone.     It  is  dated  13  October,  1841  : 

There  is  no  one  more  fit  to  be  entrusted  with  the  ministry 
of  the  Gospel,  among  his  own  brethren,  than  Samuel  Crowther. 
However  rarely  the  solid  knowledge  of  Samuel  Crowther  is 
found  among  his  brethren,  it  is  so  far  more  rarely  combined 
with  such  modesty  as  his  ;  and  while  I  am  convinced  that  he 
would  do  honour  to  our  Society,  if  presented  by  them  as  a 
candidate  for  Holy  Orders  to  the  Bishop  of  London,  I  sincerely 
wish  and  hope  that  on  his  return  from  the  Niger  this  oppor- 
tunity of  evincing  the  innate  prowess  of  an  African  mind  will 
be  afforded  him,  though  I  am  sure  his  modesty  will  not  allow 
him  to  ask  for  it. 


70       FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

In  response  to  these  high  testimonies  to  his  life 
and  capabilities,  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  committee 
summoned  him  to  England,  and  we  find  him  stepping 
ashore  once  again  on  3  September,  1842.  He  would 
have  vivid  memories  of  his  former  visit  as  a  boy, 
and  how  earnestly  he  had  pleaded  to  be  allowed  to 
stay  longer.  But  God  knows  best,  and  His  best  for 
Crowther  was  to  mould  him  by  these  intervening 
experiences,  so  that  he  might  present  himself  a  more 
fit  vessel  for  the  Master's  use.  He  looked  around  him 
now  with  the  eyes  of  a  man,  and  from  the  standpoint 
of  a  knowledge  of  human  nature,  also  with  the  benefit 
of  the  culture  of  those  studious  days  at  Fourah  Bay. 
But  above  all  there  burned  in  his  heart  the  inex- 
tinguishable passion  for  the  spiritual  enlightenment 
of  his  own  people.  He  yearned  that  Africa  might 
be  saved.  While  others  had  discerned  in  him  gifts 
and  possibilities  of  future  service,  he  was  conscious 
of  that  secret  and  inward  call  of  God  to  that  great 
work. 

He  brought  with  him  in  manuscript  a  grammar 
and  vocabulary  of  Aku,  the  Yoruba  language,  which 
he  had  compiled  during  his  leisure  hours  on  board 
on  his  way  to  England.  This  was  of  practical  value, 
and  showed  that  in  this  direction  he  could  be  of  special 
utility  in  the  mission  field.  After  several  interviews 
the  committee  placed  him  at  the  Islington  Church 
College  in  Upper  Street  for  a  few  months'  preparation. 
Here  he  was  under  the  direction  of  the  Rev.  C.  F. 
Childe,  whose  daughter  wrote  that  touching  account 
of    West    African    missionary    martyrs    called    the 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD      71 

"  Finished  Course,"  already  referred  to,  now  quite  out 

of  print,  and  a  rare  little  record  in  more  senses  than 

one.     It  is  difficult  to  get  any  memories  of  his  stay 

in  this  college  after  so  long  a  time,  but  we  can  well 

imagine  that  he  worked  hard  during  this  short  term 

and  fully  appreciated  the  training  he  received  there, 

and  is  now  counted  one  of  the  brightest  in  its  roll  of 

honoured    names    inscribed    upon    its    walls.     While 

there  the  annual  examination  was  conducted  by-  the 

Rev.  James  Schofield,  Regius  Professor  of  Greek  at 

Cambridge,    who    had    often    discussed    with    others, 

holding  the  common  idea  that  the  mental  capacity 

of  a  negro  is  always  deficient  as  regards  the  logical 

faculty.     But   after  conducting   the   examination   on 

Paley's    "  Evidences   of   Christianity,"   he   made   the 

following  significant  remark  to  the  principal  of  the 

college  : 

I  should  like,  with  your  permission,  to  take  young  Crow- 
ther's  answers  to  those  Paley  questions  back  with  me  to 
Cambridge,  and  there  read  a  few  of  them  in  the  Combination 
Room  to  certain  of  my  old  Trinity  friends.  If,  after  hearing 
that  young  African's  answers,  they  still  contend  that  he  does 
not  possess  a  logical  faculty,  they  will  tempt  us  to  question 
whether  they  do  not  lack  certain  other  faculties  of  at  least 
equal  importance,  such  as  common  fairness  of  judgment  and 
Christian  candour. 

Some  of  the  men  who  shared  lessons  with  him  have 
also  left  their  mark  upon  the  world  to  some  good 
purpose.  Two  especially  may  be  named — Henry 
Baker,  who  did  such  splendid  service  as  a  missionary 
among  one  of  the  hill  tribes  of  South  India ;  and 
James  Hunter,  who  carried  on  a  like  noble  work 
among  the  Indian  tribes  of  North-West  Canada. 


72       FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

On  Trinity  Sunday,  ii  June,  1843,  Crowther 
received  his  deacon's  orders,  and  was  invited,  with 
another  candidate,  afterwards  Prebendary  Newell, 
to  breakfast  at  Fulham  Palace,  and  to  the  latter  the 
Bishop  remarked,  directing  attention  to  Crowther  : 
"  That  man  is  no  mean  scholar  ;  his  examination 
papers  were  capital,  and  his  Latin  remarkably  good." 

Years  afterwards,  when  the  Prebendary  and  Bishop 
Crowther  met  at  a  meeting  the  incident  was  mentioned. 
It  greatly  amused  Crowther,  who  perfectly  remembered 
being  taken  to  Bishop  Blomfield  by  Mr.  Venn,  and 
that  he  was  thereupon  examined  pretty  smartly. 
After  he  retired  Bishop  Blomfield  said  to  Mr.  Venn, 
"  He'll  do,  he'll  do,  only  polish  him  up  a  bit,"  which 
brightening  process  Crowther  thought  must  have  been 
the  work  of  Islington,  for  his  chief  education  he  owed 
to  Fourah  Bay.  In  the  October  following  the  same 
Bishop  ordained  him  as  a  presbyter  of  the  Church  in 
full  orders.  This  occasion,  when  the  first  African  was 
to  be  so  ordained  in  connection  with  the  Church  Mis- 
sionaiy  Society,  was  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  events 
of  the  year.  When  Bishop  Blomfield  preached  the 
anniversary  sermon  he  referred  to  this  when  he  said  : 

What  cause  for  thanksgiving  to  Him  who  hath  made  of  one 
blood  all  nations  of  men  is  to  be  found  in  the  thought  that 
He  has  not  only  blessed  the  labourers  of  the  Society,  by  bring- 
ing many  of  those  neglected  and  persecuted  people  to  a 
knowledge  of  a  Saviour,  but  that  from  among  a  race  who 
were  despised  as  incapable  of  intellectual  exertion  and  acquire- 
ment He  has  raised  up  men  well  qualified,  even  in  point  of 
knowledge,  to  communicate  to  others  the  saving  truths  which 
they  have  themselves  embraced,  and  to  become  preachers  of 
the  Gospel  to  their  brethren  according  to  the  flesh  ! 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD      73 

It  was  a  remarkable  coincidence  that  his  ordination 
was  twenty-one  years  less  one  week  after,  as  a  little 
liberated  slave  boy,  he  had  been  put  ashore  from  the 
Mynnidon  at  Sierra  Leone.  It  is  also  worthy  of  note 
that  soon  after  his  ordination  Sir  Thomas  Fowell 
Buxton,  now  full  of  years,  heard  Crowther  preach 
in  the  pulpit  of  Northrepps  Church.  How  that  brave 
and  faithful  worker  for  the  oppressed  must  have  felt 
his  heart  warmed  at  the  sight  of  a  negro  clergyman, 
a  rescued  slave,  preaching  the  Gospel ! 

Soon  after  his  ordination  Crowther  set  sail  to  return 
to  his  native  land.  That  voyage  home  must  have 
filled  his  mind  with  many  thoughts  and  expectations 
of  what  awaited  him,  now  that  under  due  authority 
he  was  to  commence  his  ministry  amongst  his  country- 
men. As  we  have  seen  from  his  letter,  addressed 
to  the  secretaries  at  Salisbury  Square,  while  at  Fourah 
Bay  College,  he  was  fully  convinced  that  it  would  be 
by  the  ministry  of  her  own  sons  that  Africa  was  to 
be  blessed  with  Christianity.  Beyond  that  he  felt 
his  own  personal  call  to  this  responsible  privilege, 
and  his  heart  was  gladdened  with  the  prospect  of 
going  to  his  own  people.  He  watched  the  lessening 
shores  of  England,  the  land  to  which  he  was  indebted 
for  both  personal  and  spiritual  liberty,  and  then 
turned  to  watch  wistfully  for  the  first  glimpse  of  his 
own  homeland  over  the  sea. 

His  coming  was  already  exciting  a  flutter  of  ex- 
pectation. A  few  months  before  Mr.  Davies,  one  of 
the  missionaries,  wrote  in  a  letter  home,  dated  10 
August,  1843  : 


74      FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

This  morning  one  of  the  male  communicants  called  to  see 
me  with  an  apparent  degree  of  concern.  I  asked  him  what 
he  wanted  to  say  to  me.  He  replied,  "  I  wish  to  know,  sir, 
if  Mr.  S.  Crowther  is  crowned  a  minister,  for  I  long  very  much 
to  see  him  back  again  so  that  we  poor  black  people  may  look 
to  him  as  our  Black  Minister." 

On  2  December  he  arrived  at  Freetown,  and  was 
heartily  welcomed  by  troops  of  friends.  The  mis- 
sionaries were  delighted  to  grasp  his  hand  and  wish 
him  God-speed,  and  afterwards  to  hear  all  the  news 
from  the  dear  home  country,  and  to  receive  messages 
from  London.  The  natives  were,  of  course,  full  of 
joy,  and  one,  an  old  catechist,  exclaimed  in  the  spirit 
of  ancient  Simeon  : 

Happy  am  I  to  see  that  the  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth, 
as  it  is  in  Jesus,  is  spreading  far  and  wide  in  the  world,  that 
even  Africans,  who  were  bowing  down  to  images,  are  receiving 
the  sacred  scriptures  as  the  very  Word  of  God.  Truly  may 
one  say  that  the  Lord  is  now  opening  a  way  into  the  interior 
of  Africa  by  choosing  an  African,  the  Rev.  S.  Crowther,  to 
be  a  minister  to  bear  his  name  among  his  countrymen.  Now 
many  of  the  sons  of  fallen  man  will  hear  the  glad  sounds  of  a 
Saviour's  Name  !  May  the  Lord  give  His  blessing  to  His 
servant,  that  he  may  be  useful  in  turning  many  souls  to  glory  ! 
May  the  Lord  raise  up  many  more  after  liim  to  become  faithful 
ministers  of  His  Gospel  to  the  world  ! 

On  the  following  day,  being  Sunday,  Crowther 
preached  his  first  sermon  in  Africa  to  an  immense 
congregation  of  natives  in  the  mission  church  at 
Freetown.  This  was  delivered  in  the  English  language, 
of  which  he  was  already  a  perfect  master,  and  would 
be  quite  understood  by  all  his  hearers,  as  it  had  become 
the  common  tongue  of  the  Colony,  and  was  taught 
in  the  schools  as  well  as  used  in  the  churches.  He 
took  for  his   text  Luke  xiv.  22  :    "  Lord,  it  is  done 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD      75 

as  Thou  hast  commanded,  and  yet  there  is  room." 
The  preacher  made  a  note  afterwards  of  this  memorable 
gathering : 

It  was  Sacramental  Sunday.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  hear- 
ing once  more,  from  the  lips  of  my  African  brethren,  the 
hearty  and  loud  responses  of  our  excellent  Liturgy.  The 
singing  was  performed  with  solemnity,  and  I  doubt  not  was 
with  the  Spirit  and  with  the  understanding  also.  The  novelty 
of  seeing  a  native  clergyman  performing  Divine  Service  excited 
a  very  great  interest  among  all  who  were  present.  But  the 
question,  "  Who  maketh  thee  to  differ  ?  "  filled  me  with  shame 
and  confusion  of  face.  It  pleases  the  Disposer  of  all  hearts  to 
give  me  favour  in  the  sight  of  this  people.  Wherever  I  go 
they  welcome  me  as  a  messenger  of  Christ.  After  service  I 
assisted  the  Rev.  E.  Jones  to  administer  the  Lord's  Supper, 
It  was  a  very  solemn  season.  The  Lord  was  with  us.  In  the 
evening  I  preached  to  a  large  and  attentive  congregation  from 
2  Cor.  X.,  parts  of  15th  and  i6th  verses. 

He  also  remarks  that  at  the  end  of  each  service, 
after  the  Benediction  had  been  pronounced,  the 
whole  church  rang  with  the  cry  of  "  Ke  oh  sheh  " — 
"  So  let  it  be." 

This  is  a  most  interesting  stage  in  his  career,  the 

beginning  of  that  great  work,  henceforth  his  devoted 

and  lifelong  care.     His  spirit  will  be  best  expressed 

in  his  own  words,  and  therefore  we  will  quote  again 

a  few  extracts  from  the  journal  which  he  had  begun 

to  keep,  and  continued  so  faithfully  to  do  for  many 

years.     It  will  be  seen  from  the  date  that  he  had 

hardly  been  in  Africa  a  fortnight  when  he  penned  these 

lines  : 

Dec.  13,  1843.  Being  desirous  of  carrying  out,  as  far  as 
possible,  the  instructions  of  the  Parent  Committee— preaching 
in  the  Yoruba  language  in  the  Mission  Church  at  Freetown — 
I  began  making  some  translations  during  the  voyage  ;    and 


76      FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

thinking  that  the  sooner  I  began  to  prepare  myself  the  better 
and  easier  so  as  to  drive  my  business,  and  not  let  my  business 
drive  me,  I  translated  the  first  three  chapters  of  St.  Luke's 
Gospel  with  less  difficulty  than  I  at  first  anticipated,  always 
leaving  what  appeared  insufficiently  translated  until  revisions, 
when  new  words  and  thoughts  would  present  themselves, 
which  is  generally  the  case  in  revising  translations.  I  also 
translated  the  first  two  chapters  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
to  see  how  that  also  would  go,  and  it  answers  equally  well. 
Thus  have  I  prepared  myself  with  some  portions  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  although  at  present  some  verses  require  great 
consideration  before  the  sense  is  fixed,  that  I  might  not  be 
without  some  sort  of  provision  for  my  countrymen. 

But  it  was  not  only  his  public  services  which  called 
for  attention,  but  he  began  a  diligent  visitation  of 
his  countrymen  in  the  district,  and  here  we  have  a 
record  of  his  first  visit  to  a  Mohammedan,  who  had 
evinced  a  great  desire  to  see  the  black  minister  from 
over  the  sea.  Crowther  always  took  a  deep  and  in- 
telligent interest  in  the  followers  of  the  False  Prophet, 
of  which  more  will  be  seen  later  on.  This,  however, 
is  worth  notice,  as  his  earhest  recorded  conversation 
with  one  of  the  Moslem  faith : 

Dec.  17.  On  Lord's  Day  morning  the  Mohammedan  head- 
man in  the  neighbourhood  of  Fourah  Bay  sent  four  men  to 
Bathurst,  about  seven  miles  distant,  to  ask  after  my  health 
and  to  learn  for  certainty  whether  I  was  going  to  the  Yoruba 
country.  On  Monday  I  saw  him.  He  is  a  clever  Yoruba  man, 
a  very  strict  Mohammedan,  and  has  a  very  great  influence 
over  those  who  profess  Mohammedanism.  He  speaks  Haussa 
like  a  native.  I  told  him  and  his  people  who  were  present,  in 
the  Yoruba  language,  of  the  influence  of  Christianity  on  the 
people  of  England,  referred  them  to  the  proceedings  of  the 
Friends  of  Africa  in  the  late  Niger  expedition,  and  remarked 
that  it  was  the  religion  of  Christ  which  taught  them  to  love 
all  men  and  to  do  them  all  the  good  they  could.  I  told  them 
of  the  importance  of  yielding  to  the  religion  of  the  white  man's 
Bible,  because  it  led  to  the  sure  way  of  happiness,  that  the 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD       77 

Bible  had  already  been  translated  into  many  languages  and 
also  into  the  Arabic,  a  copy  of  which  I  gave  him  some  years 
ago  ;  that  I  was  instructed  to  translate  the  same  into  the 
Yoruba  language,  that  the  people  may  read  this  Bible  for 
themselves  in  their  own  tongue  ;  and  that  I  should  open  a 
service  in  the  Mission  Church,  where  I  should  read  and  preach 
to  the  people  from  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the  Yoruba  language. 
I  did  not  raise  any  objections  to  their  faith  nor  attack  it,  but 
endeavoured  to  show  them  the  great  blessings  Christianity 
bestowed  on  mankind  wherever  it  was  embraced.  To  my 
great  surprise  they  gloried  at  one  of  their  countrymen  being 
the  first  clergyman  of  the  Church  of  England  among  the 
liberated  Africans  in  the  colony  of  Sierra  Leone. 

This  dates  his  commencement  of  services  in  his 
native  tongue.  If  he  had  been  impressed  with  the 
effect  of  his  first  sermon  in  EngHsh,  how  much  more 
he  felt  these,  his  early  ministrations  to  his  own  people 
in  their  native  Yoruba. 

As  the  people  were  expecting  me  to  open  the  Yoruba 
service  in  the  Mission  Church,  I  fixed  the  9th  January  at 
half-past  four  in  the  afternoon,  and  requested  the  Rev.  H. 
Rhodes  to  notify  the  same  at  church  on  Sunday,  the  7th. 
After  the  morning  service  of  that  day  I  visited  the  people  in 
their  houses,  especially  those  who  never  attended  Divine 
Service,  and  invited  them  to  the  Yoruba  service  on  Tuesday 
afternoon. 

Jan.  9,  1844.  Monday.  Was  visited  by  the  headman  of 
the  Yoruba  Mohammedans,  who  is  living  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Fourah  Bay.  In  our  conversation  I  told  him,  among 
many  other  things,  that  I  should  commence  a  Yoruba  service 
on  the  9th,  and  should  be  very  glad  to  see  him  and  his  people 
there. 

Jan.  9.  This  afternoon  at  half-past  four  o'clock  I  opened 
the  Yoruba  service  in  the  Mission  Church  in  Freetown.  As 
might  be  expected,  the  novelty  of  the  thing  brought  a  large 
number  of  people  together — Yorubas,  Ibos,  Calabas,  etc. — to 
witness  the  reading  and  preaching  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  in 
a  native  language  in  an  English  church.  Although  the  lan- 
guage is  my  native  tongue,  with  which  I  am  well  acquainted, 
yet  on  this  occasion  it  appeared  as  if  I  were  a  babe  just  learn- 


78      FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

ing  to  utter  my  mother  tongue.  The  work  in  which  I  was 
engaged,  the  place  where  I  stood,  and  the  congregation  before 
me  were  altogether  so  new  and  strange  that  the  whole  pro- 
ceeding seemed  to  myself  like  a  dream.  But  the  Lord  sup- 
ported me.  I  opened  the  service  in  English,  when  I  read 
those  of  the  prayers  which  were  not  translated  and  a  portion 
of  St.  Luke's  Gospel  in  Yoruba.  In  the  congregation  I  ob- 
served three  of  my  young  Mohammedan  friends,  sent  by  their 
headman  to  attend  the  service,  according  to  promise.  The 
text  from  which  I  preached  was  taken  from  the  lesson  I  had 
read  to  them — Luke  i.  35.  I  was  glad  to  hear  the  people 
express  their  satisfaction  at  my  feeble  attempt  to  express  this 
doctrine.  After  service  the  Mohammedans  followed  me  to  my 
house  and  expressed  their  satisfaction  at  what  they  had  heard. 
They  apologized  for  the  non-attendance  of  their  headman,  a 
stranger  having  called  on  him  upon  a  visit,  when  he  was 
making  ready  to  come  to  the  service.  They  wished  God  to 
help  me  in  this  important  work  I  had  commenced. 

This  must  have  been  an  encouragement  to  Crowther, 
and  shows  that  his  tactful  and  no  less  faithful  treat- 
ment of  this  Mohammedan  had  met  with  a  measure 
of  success.  He  was  naturally  deeply  moved  at  the 
sight  of  the  heathenism  around.  Even  in  Freetown, 
where  the  Gospel  had  been  preached  for  so  long,  the 
people  in  many  cases  were  still  in  the  dense  darkness 
of  paganism.     He  tells  us  himself  : 

A  great  portion  of  them  are  gross  idolaters.  My  visits 
caused  some  stir  among  them.  Generally  they  received  me 
with  great  respect,  and  always  acknowledged  the  worship  of 
the  only  true  God  as  superior  to  any  other  ;  but  they  cannot 
resolve  to  give  up  their  gods,  whom  they  believe  were  created 
by  the  great  God  for  the  good  of  mankind,  and  ought  there- 
fore to  be  worshipped.  I  told  them  that  none  of  these  things 
are  true,  but  are  the  devices  of  Satan  to  keep  man  from  God 
and  in  darkness  and  superstition. 

Feb.  23.  This  day  (Friday)  is  sacred  to  Shango,  the  god 
of  thunder  and  lightning.  At  seven  o'clock  this  morning  I 
visited  a  party  of  the  worshippers  of  Shango,  when  I  was 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD       79 

received  rather  to  be  thundered  upon  than  to  be  listened  to. 
On  my  entering  the  yard  I  found  the  drummers  sitting  oppo- 
site  the  representation   of  Shan  go,   which   was   placed   in   a 
conspicuous   part  of   the   house.     The   seat  of    Shango   was 
a  bank  of  earth,  raised  a  few  inches  above  the  ground  in  a 
semi-circular  form,  about  two  or  three  feet  from  the  centre 
to  the  circumference.    The  banks  of  earth  were  streaked  with 
two  broad  bands  of  red  clay  and  white  chalk.     Within  the 
other  circle  was  another  smaller  one,  in  which  was  placed  a 
wooden  mortar  bedaubed  with  blood,  and  on  the  top  was  a 
large  calabash,  washed  with  white  chalk  and  covered  up.    By 
the  side  of  this  were  placed  many  smaller  calabashes,  country 
pots,  bottles,  etc.,  and  a  club  with  which  the  thunder  does 
execution,  completed  the  whole.     Every  Shango  worshipper 
has  his  house  thus  furnished.     They  commence  their  worship 
on  Thursday  night,  and  drum  and  dance  till  Friday  morning. 
Occasionally  they  offer  a  ram — an  animal  particularly  dedi- 
cated to  the  god.    On  entering  the  yard  I  asked  for  the  master 
of  the  house,  when  one  of  the  drummers  presented  himself  to 
me.    I  was  offered  a  seat  in  the  house,  and  no  further  notice 
seemed  to  be  taken  of  me.     Some  were  busy  and  in  great 
bustle,  while  others  were  drowsy.     I  called  to  the  pretended 
master  of  the  house,  saying  that  I  wished  to  speak  to  him, 
when  he  told  me  to  wait  a  little  and  he  would  come.     My 
coming  had  thrown  them  into  confusion.     At  last  a  person 
came  to  me,  fell  on  his  knees  trembling,  and  said  that  he  was 
master  of  the  house,  and  he  hoped  there  was  no  matter  why 
I   came.      Kneeling  is  a  mark  of  great  respect  among  the 
Yorubas.     I  told  him  not  to  kneel,  but  to  sit  down  ;    that  I 
had  come  to  say  something  important  to  him  and  his  friends, 
but  no  harm  ;   and  that  I  wished  him  to  call  them  all  in.    As 
they  were  coming  the  head  drummer,  who  seemed  to  be  deeply 
sunk  in  superstition  and  debauchery,  made  use  of  most  in- 
decent language. 

Having  entered  and  taken  their  seats,  I  drew  their  attention 
to  the  character  of  their  worship  from  the  lewd  expression 
which  had  been  shamelessly  uttered  in  my  hearing.  This  was 
sufi&cient  to  inflame  the  whole  assembly.  The  man  rose  up 
with  wrath  and  indignation  at  my  rebuke,  and  with  eyes  vivid 
as  lightning  spoke  like  thunder.  He  instantly  referred  me  to 
nominal  Christians,  who  he  said  were  the  greatest  adulterers 
that  could  be  met  with  in  the  Colony,  and  that  he  himself  was 
formerly  one  of  the  churchgoers,  but  found  no  benefit  from 


8o       FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

his  connection  with  the  religion  of  the  Bible.  To  my  great 
mortification,  shame,  and  regret  I  was  silenced — the  charge 
was  too  true. 

This  is  the  effect  of  the  inconsistent  lives  of  nominal  Chris- 
tians, and  occasion  is  thus  given  to  this  people  to  speak 
reproachfully.  I  asked  only  for  a  few  minutes'  silence  just  to 
say  a  few  words  to  the  owner  of  the  house,  but  even  this  was 
hardly  granted.  However,  as  he  was  inclined  to  hear  me,  I 
turned  and  spoke  to  him.  No  sooner  did  they  perceive  that 
he  was  yielding  than  they  pulled  him  in  every  direction  to 
draw  him  away  from  me,  but  he  did  not  go,  and  I  continued 
speaking  to  him.  When  they  could  bear  this  no  longer  they 
brought  their  drums  and,  sitting  on  the  bank  where  Shango 
was  placed,  commenced  drumming  to  drown  my  voice  and 
cried  out  in  honour  of  their  god.  This  I  did  not  mind.  Find- 
ing that  I  was  making  impression  upon  the  man,  they  left 
their  drums  and  actually  dragged  him  away.  They  asked 
whether  my  forefathers  were  not  idolaters,  even  to  the  thirtieth 
generation,  whether  I  was  not  born  and  preserved  through 
their  gods,  and  said  if  my  forefathers  had  gone  to  hell  I  must 
go  there  also. 

The  only  weapons  I  used  on  this  occasion  were  patience 
and  an  even  temper,  which  the  Lord  has  pleased  to  grant  me. 
I  was  calm  and  steady  without  any  notion  of  anger  or  indig- 
nation ;  all  my  expressions  went  to  show  that  I  sought  their 
welfare.  When  I  had  obtained  a  few  moments'  silence  I 
affectionately  addressed  myself  to  the  head  drummer,  and 
then  left  the  house,  promising  to  call  at  another  time  when 
they  were  more  sober.  When  I  had  got  into  the  street  two  of 
them  ran  after  me  to  express  their  wonder  at  the  command 
I  had  had  over  myself  all  the  time  I  was  insulted,  and  that, 
instead  of  revenging,  I  had  spoken  kindly  to  them.  I  told 
them  it  was  the  reUgion  of  Christ  only  which  could  make  the 
temper  of  man  sweet  and  amiable. 

Feb.  25.  According  to  promise,  I  repeated  my  visit  to  the 
house  of  the  Shango  worshippers  in  Circular  Road.  Unfortu- 
nately the  master  of  the  house  was  absent.  However,  I  took 
the  opportunity  of  speaking  to  his  wife,  two  other  women,  and 
a  man,  who  were  present,  of  the  folly  of  worshipping  thunder 
and  lightning.  To  speak  of  the  principles  of  electricity  is  to 
speak  of  a  new  god.  I,  however,  explained  the  subject  to 
them  as  well  as  I  could.  A  small  electrical  machine  would  be 
very  useful  to  this  colony  and  in  our  Abeokuta  Mission  towards 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD       8i 

opening  the  understanding  and  enlarging  the  minds  of  this 
superstitious  people.  The  exhibition  of  experiments  by  such 
an  instrument  would,  I  think,  go  to  abate  the  fears  of  the 
people,  if  not  do  away  with  the  worship  of  this  god  of  terror, 
especially  if  a  few  of  the  worshippers  were  to  be  electrified. 
The  votaries  of  this  god  are  obliged  to  go  out,  whether  at  day 
or  night,  when  it  rains,  lightens,  or  thunders,  however  awfully, 
and  run  about  the  streets  crying  out  in  praise  of  their  god  to 
appease  his  anger.  If  any  person,  or  his  house  or  property, 
should  be  struck  by  lightning,  they  believe  it  is  because  he  has 
sworn  falsely  by  Shango,  who  revenges  it. 

As  Crowther  was  now  about  to  start  on  his  first 
missionary  tour,  it  is  necessary  to  glance  at  that  page 
of  Yoruba  history  which  covers  the  score  of  years  and 
more  since  he  was  captured  as  a  slave. 

The  devastating  raids  of  the  Foulah  or  Fellatah 
tribes  had  depopulated  vast  areas  of  the  country, 
and  Crowther's  town  of  Oshogun  had  been  rebuilt 
and  again  destroyed,  and  it  is  difficult  now  to  identify 
the  site  of  the  place  associated  with  his  happy  child- 
hood's days.  The  Yoruban  king  was  now  an  exile, 
his  capital  was  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  and  he 
retreated  to  the  town  of  Aggo-oj-a  with  diminished 
authority,  for  aU  the  inferior  chiefs  had  thrown  off 
their  allegiance  to  the  fallen  sovereign,  each  fighting 
for  his  own  hand. 

The  scattered  natives,  running  hither  and  thither 
to  escape  the  slave  hunters,  at  last  found  a  place  of 
refuge  in  a  huge  heap  of  stones,  on  a  hill  near  the  river 
Ogun,  in  the  south-western  district  of  their  country. 
It  was  a  primitive  fortress,  for  its  huge  porphyrite 
rock  called  Olumo  had  provided  a  hiding-place  for 
a  band  of  robbers.     The  large  rounded  stones  formed 


82       FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

a  considerable  cavern  at  the  base,  and  here  in  1825 
a  few  poor  frightened  fellow-countrymen  of  Crowther's, 
finding  the  robbers  departed,  were  glad  to  take  up 
their  abode.  Others  joined  them,  sharing  their 
hardships  as  well  as  their  safety,  for  they  dare  not 
show  themselves,  living  for  a  time  on  the  leaves  of 
the  pepper  plant  and  the  carcass  of  any  animal  which 
might  come  within  reach.  Little  by  little  they  grew 
more  brave ;  one  would  steal  do\vn  to  the  nearest 
village  and  buy  a  little  seed  com,  and  in  time  tiny 
patches  of  growing  crops  appeared  at  the  foot  of 
the  boulders  of  Olumo.  Other  stragglers  found  this 
refuge,  the  remnant  of  at  least  one  hundred  and  thirty 
towns  which  had  been  destroyed  by  the  slave  raiders, 
and  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  a  large  community, 
comprising  a  number  of  tribes  and  clans,  each  with 
its  own  war  captain,  judge,  and  code  of  laws,  in  many 
cases  naming  their  httle  village,  fondly,  after  the  town 
of  their  better  days  now  destroyed.  Prosperity 
waited  upon  security,  and  soon  they  gave  their  new 
dwelling-place  the  name  of  Abeokuta,  i.e.  Under  the 
Stone.  These  people  belonged  to  the  Egba  tribe  of 
the  Yorubans,  and  were  all  under  the  government  of 
a  brave  and  enlightened  chief  named  Shodoke,  who 
arranged  for  each  to\\Ti  to  have  its  civil  governors  or 
mayors  called  Oghonis,  and  war  chiefs  or  generals, 
called  Balaguns.  Then  they  had  a  sort  of  general 
council  or  parliament,  of  all  these  at  Ake  under  the 
personal  leadership  of  Shodoke.  This  unity  of  in- 
terests gave  great  strength  to  the  new  settlement, 
and  they  were  able  to  defend  themselves  successfully 
against  several  serious  attacks  from  their  enemies. 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD       83 

As  might  be  expected,  news  was  brought  them  from 
the  coast  of  the  settlement  of  liberated  Africans  at 
Sierra  Leone,  of  English  ships  with  big  guns  cruising 
on  the  sea  off  the  coast  and  capturing  slave  vessels, 
and  that  at  this  place,  under  the  British  flag,  many 
of  their  own  tribe  were  living.  On  both  sides  there 
arose  fervent  longings  to  meet  again,  and  to  those  in 
Sierra  Leone  it  seemed  as  though  the  Promised  Land 
of  a  restored  nation  was  before  them  at  Abeokuta. 
They  determined  to  start  trade  relations  with  the 
Yoruban  settlement,  and  in  1839  they  bought  an  old 
slave  ship  from  the  Government,  and  set  sail,  laden 
with  goods,  for  Badagry,  the  nearest  port  to  their 
destination.  Other  spirited  adventurers  landed  at 
Lagos,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Ogun,  which,  however, 
was  the  Popos'  land,  and  these  only  welcomed  the 
emigrants  with  their  goods  for  what  they  could  get 
out  of  them,  and  sent  their  hapless  visitors  into  the 
interior  without  food  or  guidance  to  perish  by  the 
way. 

Those  who  settled  at  Badagry  fared  better  ;  the 
town  was  already  in  part  occupied  by  Yorubans, 
and  their  chief,  Wa  Wa,  was  friendly  and  willing  to 
help  the  newcomers.  The  great  exodus  of  the  Egba 
tribe  to  Abeokuta  soon  began  in  real  earnest,  and 
their  return  had  many  touching  incidents.  After 
their  arrival  at  Badagry  they  would  travel  for  many 
miles  through  a  flat  alluvial  country,  here  and  there 
swampy  or  covered  with  thick  jungle.  Then  they 
would  reach  the  undulating  region  bright  with  flowers 
and  shaded  with  groves  of  palm  trees,  along  which  the 


84       FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

clear  shining  stream  of  some  river  would  invite  them 
to  rest  and  refresh  themselves.  But  the  pilgrims 
would  also  see  the  blackened  ruins  of  the  towns 
which  the  enemy  had  destroyed  ;  in  one  day's  journey 
they  passed  no  less  than  twenty  of  these  sad  scenes 
of  wanton  destruction.  And  now  as  they  approached 
Abeokuta  they  would  notice  signs  of  cultivation  and 
industry,  farms  with  poultry,  and  men  busy  every- 
where and  happy.  Then  following  the  noble  river 
Ogun  along  its  beautiful  banks  of  luxuriant  foliage 
they  caught  sight  of  to  them  the  glorious  city  for  the 
first  time.  They  raised  their  hands  and  greeted  the 
city  with  shouts  of  joy.  Soon  they  had  passed  its 
gates  and  were  eagerly  inquiring  for  their  relatives 
and  friends  ;  they  clasped  each  other  with  kisses  of 
recognition,  and  each  had  a  wonderful  story  to  tell  of 
suffering  and  escape  to  the  sheltering  rock  of  Olumo, 
of  the  kindness  of  the  EngUsh  at  Sierra  Leone,  and 
the  strange  marvels  of  civilization  there.  And  amongst 
other  things  the  visitors  were  not  slow  to  tell  of  the 
missionaries  who  had  taught  them  out  of  the  book 
of  God,  and  preached  how  Jesus  Christ  came  to  seek 
and  to  save  those  that  were  lost. 

To  the  minds  of  the  missionaries  at  Sierra  Leone 
this  wholesale  exodus  of  their  people  suggested  some 
grave  fears.  Withdrawn  from  the  guidance  and 
restraints  of  Christian  hfe,  these  natives  might  possibly 
relapse  again  into  the  dark  practices  of  heathenism, 
and,  in  spite  of  promises  to  continue  in  the  good  way, 
it  was  felt  that  the  new  situation  was  fraught  with 
danger.     Indeed,  many  of  those  going  away  shared 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD       85 

this  feeling  too,  and  a  petition  was  sent  to  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  in  London,  asking  for  spiritual 
leaders  to  accompany  them.  As  a  result  of  this 
Mr.  Henry  Townsend,  a  very  promising  young  mis- 
sionary, was  dispatched  on  a  visit  of  inquiry  to  Abeo- 
kuta.  He  had  an  eventful  journey,  not  without  many 
hardships  and  difficulties,  meeting  happily  with  the 
Rev.  T.  B.  Freeman,  with  whom  he  took  helpful 
counsel.  But  at  every  step  of  the  way  he  found 
many  opportunities  of  preaching  the  Gospel.  At  one 
place  where  they  had  stopped  for  the  night,  and  he 
had  held  an  evening  service,  with  his  party  from  Sierra 
Leone,  a  large  crowd  of  natives  gathered  and  listened 
attentively.     Mr.  Townsend  in  his  journal  tells  us  : 

I  said,  "  Do  you  know  the  true  God  who  made  us  all  and 
preserves  us  day  by  day  ?  " 

"  No  ;  but  we  heard  about  ten  years  ago  that  white  men 
knew  Him,  and  we  have  wished  they  would  come  and  teach  us." 

"  Do  you  want  to  know  Him  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then  you  must  ask  God  to  send  you  teachers,  and  He 
will  send  them  to  teach  and  lead  you  in  the  right  way  of  God." 

They  arose,  and  lifting  up  their  hands  said,  "  O  God,  send 
us  teachers  to  teach  us  about  Thee." 

On  reaching  Abeokuta  at  last,  Townsend  was 
received  with  great  kindness  and  welcomed  by  the 
chief,  Shodoke,  who  allowed  him  to  hold  services 
in  his  palace  yard,  and  promised  that  if  a  number 
of  missionaries  were  sent  he  would  give  them  places 
of  worship  and  his  full  support.  Townsend  returned 
to  Sierra  Leone  and  came  to  England  in  1843,  where 
he  was  ordained  by  Bishop  Blomfield  and  sent  again 
to  establish  a  mission  at  Abeokuta. 


86       FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

This  proposal  created  great  interest  in  Sierra  Leone  ; 
offers  of  help  in  money  and  men  flowed  in  from  all 
sides.  Mr.  Fergusson,  the  Governor  of  the  Colony, 
was  fully  in  sympathy  with  the  undertaking,  and  in- 
vited Townsend  and  his  fellow-missionaries  to  break- 
fast with  him  on  the  morning  when  the  expedition 
was  to  start.  All  the  missionaries  within  reach 
gathered  to  say  good-bye  ;   they  sang  : 

Guide  me,  O  Thou  Great  Jehovah, 

and  Mr.  Schon,  with  many  memories  of  the  Niger 
expedition,  committed  them  to  the  safe  keeping  of 
God  in  prayer. 

The  missionary  party  embarking  was  a  large  one — 
two  Europeans — the  Rev.  C.  A.  and  Mrs.  Gollmer  and 
the  Rev.  Henry  and  Mrs.  Townsend — also  the  Rev. 
Samuel  and  Mrs.  Crowther,  with  their  two  little 
children ;  Mr.  Marsh,  a  catechist,  with  his  wife  and 
two  children ;  Mr.  PhiUips,  a  schoolmaster ;  Mr.  Mark 
Willoughby,  the  interpreter,  with  his  wife  and  three 
children ;  four  carpenters,  three  labourers,  and  two 
native  servants.  They  sailed  on  i8  December,  1844, 
spent  Christmas  Day  at  Monrovia,  and  reached  Badagry 
on  17  January,  1845. 

On  landing,  where  they  were  very  kindly  entertained 
by  the  Rev.  W.  Annear,  the  resident  Wesleyan  mis- 
sionary, they  received  the  disappointing  news  that 
Shodoke,  the  friendly  chief  of  Abeokuta,  was  dead. 
They  had  built  so  many  great  expectations  on 
the  promises  of  this  strong  and  wise  leader,  and  although 
messengers  arrived  soon  afterwards  with  welcoming 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD      ^7 

words  from  the  chiefs  at  Abeokuta,  they  were  warned 
against  going,  especially  as  the  roads  were  infested 
with  robbers.  They  had,  therefore,  no  alternative 
but  to  stay  in  Badagry  for  a  time  until  the  way  was 
opened  to  take  the  journey  to  Abeokuta.  Their 
present  position,  indeed,  offered  plenty  of  opportunity 
for  mission  work.  The  natives  were  Popos  of  the 
Dahomian  type,  steeped  in  degrading  and  cruel 
superstition,  and  in  addition  utterly  demorahzed 
by  the  vile  rum  which  the  slave  ships  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  supplying  in  exchange  for  the  captives. 
Human  sacrifices  were  common,  and  it  was  no  strange 
thing  for  some  poor  woman,  suspected  of  witchcraft, 
to  be  dragged  through  the  streets  by  her  feet  until 
death  terminated  her  sufferings,  and  her  body  was 
thrown  into  the  fetish  grave.  Just  after  the  party 
had  arrived  Kosoko,  the  nephew  of  the  King  of  Lagos, 
had  conspired  against  him,  and  fled  to  Badagry, 
while  this  man,  a  cruel  and  merciless  slave  dealer, 
who  was  responsible  for  many  massacres,  tried  to 
gain  possession  of  the  town,  and  threatened  Abeokuta. 
But  these  troubles  did  not  affect  the  purpose  and  con- 
viction of  these  brave  missionaries  in  their  work. 
They  were  prepared  for  suffering  in  their  Master's 
cause,  and  they  had  been  in  the  place  scarcely  three 
months  when  Mrs.  GoUmer  passed  away  suddenly, 
and  they  laid  her  body  to  rest  with  much  solemnity 
and  mourning. 

Crowther  writes  thus  about  this  sad  event  : 

This  is  the  first  Christian  funeral  that  has  ever  been  pubhcly 
performed  in  this  country.    Many  of  the  natives  out  of  curi- 


88       FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

osity  accompanied  us  to  the  church  and  to  the  burial  ground, 
to  witness  the  burial  of  a  Christian.  Though  our  dear  sister 
is  dead,  yet  she  speaks  to  the  natives  around,  and  shows  the 
difference  between  the  death  of  a  saint  and  the  death  of  a 
heathen.  The  scene  of  this  day  will  not  soon  wear  away  from 
the  minds  of  those  who  were  present — about  150  persons. 
The  chiefs  having  been  informed  of  our  mournful  bereavement, 
sent  their  messengers  to  express  their  sympathy  with  us. 
Although  no  worshippers  of  the  great  God  who  made  all 
things,  yet  they  invariably  ascribed  this  afflictive  visitation 
to  the  providence  of  God,  who  knew  and  ordered  all  the  events 
of  life  in  His  secret  wisdom.  Truly,  although  they  knew  Him 
as  God,  "  they  glorify  Him  not  as  God,"  but  become  vain  in 
their  imaginations,  and  their  foohsh  heart  is  darkened. 

Mr.  Townsend  took  the  opportunity  of  acquiring 
more  perfectly  the  Yoruban  language,  while  Crowther 
and  the  bereaved  Gollmer  visited  the  people,  and  from 
time  to  time  preached  the  Gospel  under  the  shade  of 
an  ancient  tree,  between  the  two  busy  markets. 
On  9  March  they  opened  their  first  httle  church  on 
this  very  spot. 

Crowther,  in  his  journals,  makes  some  interesting 
notes  of  a  visit  to  the  chief  Ogubonna's  house : 

At  the  entrance  to  the  square  we  met  him  sitting  on  a  mat 
spread  on  the  ground,  a  fine  stout,  tall,  clean,  and  noble- 
looking  man,  and  his  pet  daughter,  really  her  father's  image, 
about  ten  years  old,  but  quite  naked,  sitting  close  beside  him. 
He  soon  obtained  a  chair  and  two  empty  powder  kegs  for  our 
seats.    As  the  drums  continued  beating  and  the  horns  blowing, 
the  noise  was  so  great  that  we  could  scarcely  hear  ourselves. 
Many  of  the  chiefs  came,  and  were  introduced  to  us  by  Ogu- 
bonna.     As  the  noise  was  still  very  great  he  conducted  us  to 
the  square  and  into  his  room,  where  he  lodged  us.     Here  we 
were  glad  to  rest  awhile  and  to  be  quiet  from  the  noisy  multi- 
tude.    He  asked  whether  we  had  brought  our  house  (tent) 
with  us  ;  we  answered  in  the  negative  on  account  of  our  haste 
in  leaving  Badagry.    Ogubonna  not  being  accustomed  to  pro- 
vide for  white  men,  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do  on  this  occasion, 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD       89 

but  we  soon  made  him  easy  by  ordering  one  of  our  men  to 
assist  in  boiling  a  fowl  and  some  yams  for  our  dinner  and 
supper.  Before  supper  was  ready  we  passed  the  time  in  con- 
versation, lying  on  a  leopard  skin,  which  was  sometimes  used 
for  a  chair  and  at  other  times  for  a  sofa,  as  we  wished  to 
change  our  position.  Supper  being  ready,  after  a  blessing  had 
been  asked,  every  one  took  his  plate  on  his  lap  or  placed  it 
on  the  leopard  skin,  as  it  suited  him  best.  We  asked  Ogubonna 
to  partake  with  us,  but  he  declined  because  he  did  not  know 
how  to  eat  as  white  men  eat.  We  took  some  tea  without  milk 
and  asked  Ogubonna  to  take  a  cup,  to  which  he  consented. 
To  make  it  agreeable  to  his  taste  Mr.  GoUmer  sweetened  it 
well  with  sugar,  and  the  chief  seemed  to  enjoy  it  very  much. 
When  it  was  about  nine  o'clock  we  expressed  our  wish  to 
have  family  prayer,  and  said  we  should  be  glad  if  he  and  his 
household  would  join  us.  He  instantly  ordered  all  in  the 
square  to  assemble,  when  I  read  Acts  xvii.  16-31,  and  ex- 
pounded it  to  them  and  prayed  in  their  native  tongue.  After 
prayers  we  told  him  that  it  was  our  custom  to  read  a  portion 
of  Scripture  every  morning  and  evening  and  to  pray  to  God 
with  our  people,  and  that  not  only  had  I  been  taught  in  the 
white  man's  country  thus  to  read  the  Word  of  God,  but  many 
also  of  our  country  people  in  Sierra  Leone.  To  prove  this 
Mr.  Thomas  Puddicomb,  a  liberated  African  of  the  Yoruba 
nation,  who  is  our  head  carpenter,  and  Mr.  Mark  Willoughby, 
Mr.  GoUmer's  interpreter,  were  each  requested  to  read  a  por- 
tion of  Scripture  and  to  translate  it  to  the  chief,  and  Mr. 
Willoughby  read  the  miracle  of  the  widow's  son  at  Nain,  which 
they  both  translated  to  the  astonishment  of  Ogubonna.  Mr. 
Willoughby  was  liberated  at  the  same  time  with  me,  and 
Mr.  Puddicomb  at  the  same  time  with  my  wife.  We  were  all 
taught  to  read  the  Word  of  God  at  Bathurst  school,  super- 
intended at  that  time  by  Mrs.  Weeks. 

It  was  very  remarkable  that  these  natives  who 
were  giving  evidence  and  witness  in  the  presence 
of  this  chief  should  all  have  been  as  boys  together 
at  the  same  school  after  their  liberation.  The  services 
under  the  umbrella  tree,  to  which  reference  has  already 
been  made,  were  a  great  success,  and  the  formation 
of  a  Sunday-school  of  forty  children,  the  first  ever 


go       FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

seen  in  Badagry,  became  a  very  popular  feature  of 
their  work.  Crowther  had  always  a  tender  place 
in  his  heart  for  the  children,  and  could  hold  their 
attention  and  touch  them  as  few  were  able.  One  is 
not  surprised,  therefore,  that  he  mentions  them  in 
his  account  of  such  a  service  on  13  April  : 

I  preached  to  a  congregation  of  sixty-three  adults  and 
forty  children.  The  children  seemed  to  be  peculiarly  delighted 
with  the  service,  and  were  heard  distinctly  joining  in  the 
Confession,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Creed,  and  the  Responses 
to  the  Ten  Commandments  in  the  Yoruba  language.  Last 
Lord's  Day  I  sighed  that  we  could  not  as  yet  get  any  of  these 
children  to  school,  but  to-day  I  brought  with  me  a  few  letters 
of  the  alphabet,  thinking  they  might  amuse  them  and  that 
thus  they  could  at  the  same  time  be  initiated,  though  but 
slowly,  into  the  mystery  of  speaking  their  own  language  out 
of  books,  as  they  see  me  do  every  Lord's  Day.  The  simple- 
hearted  children  were  quite  pleased  with  this  new  art,  and 
soon  blocked  me  up  in  their  midst  to  see  me  point  to  the  moon- 
like O  and  the  serpent-like  S.  Although  the  men  and  women 
were  at  liberty  to  go  away  after  service,  yet  they  remained 
to  see  these  wonderful  letters.  When  I  was  about  to  return 
home  some  of  the  poor  children  fell  on  their  faces  to  thank 
me  for  teaching  them  the  White  Man's  Book.  This  mode  of 
showing  respect  I  hope  hereafter  to  alter  to  the  more  con- 
venient English  custom. 

After  several  months'  stay  in  Badagry,  Crowther 
had  made  great  progress  in  his  translation  of  the 
Scriptures  in  the  Yoruba  tongue,  and  had  also 
translated  the  Liturgy,  so  that  the  congregation 
could  now  join  inteUigently  in  the  service.  This 
work  was  of  permanent  value  to  the  mission,  and 
with  the  new  accompHshment  of  learning  to  read, 
the  natives  were  filled  with  delight.  Especially 
were  they  struck  with  the  prayers  in  the  service  ; 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD       91 

they  evidently  were  able  to  appreciate,  as  all  must 
do,  the  comprehensive  scope  of  these  petitions.  "  Ha  ! 
ha  !  ha  !  "  exclaimed  the  chief.  "  So  they  pray  to 
Olorun  (God)  for  everything,  for  all  people,  for  their 
enemies  even — we  never  heard  of  the  like  before." 

Crowther  always  had  the  deepest  affection  for  the 
Liturgy  of  his  Church,  and  it  will  not  be  out  of  place 
to  quote  here  a  few  words  from  his  journal,  relating 
an  incident  which  illustrates  this  : 

When  I  was  spending  a  few  days  with  a  pious  officer  in 
the  army  at  Woolwich  in  1843  I  came  in  contact  with  a 
gentleman  of  the  Plymouth  Brethren,  who  used  all  the  argu- 
ments he  could  to  get  me  into  his  persuasion.  When  he  found 
that  he  could  not  succeed,  he  gave  me  this  one  solemn  advice 
— not  to  make  use  of  the  Liturgy  among  my  country  people. 
In  reply  I  begged  him  to  consider  for  a  moment  the  propriety 
of  the  conduct  of  a  son  who  has  been  cared  for,  nursed  up, 
and  taught  to  pray  upon  the  lap  by  his  kind  mother  from  his 
infancy,  till  he  attained  the  years  of  discretion,  and  then 
because  the  prayers  of  his  mother  did  not  suit  his  fancy  to 
kick  against  them.  How  ungrateful  !  I  have  considered  the 
Church  as  my  mother,  which  has  taught  me  to  pray,  as  it 
were,  upon  her  lap  by  the  Prayer  Book,  when  I  knew  not  how 
to  utter  a  word.  After  having  been  thus  taught  to  express  my 
wants,  shall  I  now  kick  against  it  ? 

My  attachment  to  the  use  of  the  Liturgy  has  not  in  the 
least  abated  since  that  time,  but,  on  the  contrary,  since  I  have 
been  sifting  various  portions  in  translating  them  into  my 
native  tongue,  I  have  found  its  beauty  sparkles  brighter  and 
brighter  ;  it  is  scriptural  in  its  language,  and  very  well  adapted 
for  public  service,  and  I  can  find  no  substitute  for  my  country- 
men. 

Their  progress  to  Abeokuta,  so  long  retarded, 
was  providentially  expedited  by  the  interposition 
of  an  enemy.  Domingo,  a  notorious  slave  dealer 
of  Porto-novo,  had  sent  presents  to  Sagbua  at  Abeo- 
kuta, promising  to  clear  the  roads  of  robbers  if  he 


92       FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

would  allow  a  traffic  in  slaves  to  be  established ; 
but  the  missionaries  at  Badagry  had  managed  to  send 
with  this  embassy  a  private  appeal  to  Sagbua,  saying 
how  urgently  they  wished  to  come  to  his  city  and 
commence  missionary  work  among  his  people.  Ig- 
norant of  this,  Domingo  had  taken  the  precaution 
to  give  a  scandalous  report  of  the  missionaries,  knowing 
full  well  that  if  Christianity  became  strong  in  Abeokuta, 
his  slave  trade  would  suffer.  When  the  messengers 
arrived  and  had  given  Domingo's  account,  Sagbua 
soon  showed  them  that  he  was  not  going  to  be  so 
easily  deceived. 

"  We  can  ourselves,"  said  he,  "  tell  who  are  our 
best  friends — those  who  rescue  our  children  from 
captivity  and  send  them  freely  to  us  again,  or  those 
who  bring  goods  to  purchase  them  for  perpetual  slavery 
and  misery.  The  English  are  our  friends,  and  you 
people  at  Badagry  take  care,  for  if  any  wrong  is 
done  to  them  in  your  town,  you  must  answer  to  us  for 
it."  So,  far  from  his  intention,  this  slave  owner 
opened  the  way  for  the  progress  of  Christianity, 
instead  of  his  inhuman  traffic.  They  started  on 
27  July,  1846,  in  the  rainy  season,  but,  fearing  that 
any  delay  might  give  Domingo  a  chance  of  blocking 
the  way  after  all,  they  resolved  to  push  forward. 
It  proved  to  be  a  terrible  journey  of  misfortunes 
and  difficulty.  Nothing  but  the  indomitable  pluck 
and  faith  of  these  devoted  men  and  women  could 
have  survived  such  a  struggle  with  the  opposing 
elements.  Crowther  wrote  in  a  letter  to  a  fellow- 
missionary  at  Sierra  Leone  after  their  arrival  at  Abeo- 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD       93 

knta,  in  which  he  tells  something  of  their  woeful  plight 
on  this  march  through  jungle  and  rain.  It  is  dated 
12  November  : 

The  first  day  we  travelled  about  twenty-five  miles,  with 
an  escort  of  twenty-five  men  from  Badagry  to  accompany  us 
till  we  had  passed  the  most  dangerous  part  of  our  journey. 
Being  pelted  by  rain  all  day,  we  were  glad  to  rest  ourselves 
in  our  tent,  which  we  pitched,  after  we  had  cleared  away  the 
bush,  in  the  middle  of  a  large  forest  on  the  bank  of  a  stream, 
which  we  had  to  cross  in  a  bathing-tub  the  next  morning, 
because  it  was  unsafe  to  carry  anyone  across  the  stream. 
The  tub  was  brought  with  us  all  the  way  to  Badagry,  that 
this  stream  might  not  be  an  obstacle  to  prevent  our  proceed- 
ing to  Abeokuta. 

The  next  morning  we  crossed  the  stream  with  safety  in 
our  bathing  vessel,  navigated  by  two  men  as  they  waded  to 
the  middle  in  the  water,  the  bottom  of  which  was  full  of 
roots  of  trees  which  grow  in  it.  Our  second  day's  journey  was 
still  more  difficult  than  the  first,  because  the  road  was  so  badly 
cut  by  rain  that  our  horses  could  scarcely  go  on,  and  there 
was  no  way  to  turn  on  either  side,  which  was  high,  bushy, 
and  slippery.  There  were  also  many  trees  which  fell  across 
the  path,  around  which  travellers  must  go  if  it  cannot  be 
crossed,  in  doing  which  our  horses  and  carriers  found  it  very 
wearisome.  Mrs.  Crowther  was  nearly  thrown  down  by  her 
carriers,  because  they  could  not  keep  on  their  feet  on  account 
of  the  slipperiness  of  the  path  ;  she  had  to  walk  nearly  all  the 
way  to  Abeokuta,  which  completely  knocked  her  up.  Our 
children,  Juliana  and  Dandeson,  were  carried  on  the  back 
according  to  African  fashion  ;  there  was  not  much  trouble  on 
their  part,  but  the  poor  little  children  did  not  like  travelling 
in  the  dark  forest,  besides  which  they  were  beaten  by  rain, 
the  path  even  not  admitting  the  use  of  an  umbrella.  When 
we  halted  in  the  forest  the  second  day  we  were  obliged  to 
catch  rain-water  for  our  use,  there  being  no  water  near  where 
we  could  pass  the  night  with  safety. 

A  few  days  later  they  were  gladdened  to  meet  some 
messengers  from  the  chiefs  to  welcome  them  to  the 
town,  which  they  reached  at  last  in  pouring  rain, 
wet  to  the  skin,  but  compelled  by  their  enthusiastic 


94       FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

friends  to  go  all  round  the  town  to  see  the  sights  before 
being  introduced  to  Sagbua,  the  King  or  principal 
chief.  The  day  previously  had  been  occupied  by 
a  long  discussion  among  the  chiefs  who  should  have 
the  honour  of  receiving  the  English  visitors,  and  the 
town-crier,  a  wild-looking  person  in  striped  garments 
of  bright  colours,  with  a  head-dress  of  monkey  skin, 
a  bell  in  one  hand  and  a  suspicious-looking  axe  in  the 
other,  warned  all  and  sundry  of  the  consequences  of 
interfering  with  the  safety  and  comfort  of  Sagbua's 
guests. 

When  the  missionaries  were  in  due  time  introduced 
to  this  great  man  Sagbua,  they  presented  him  with 
a  large  mirror,  which  had  miraculously  survived  this 
travelling,  but  he,  with  rare  tact,  made  it  over  to  the 
Town  Hall  or  Council  Room,  where  it  might  excite 
the  envy,  but  not  the  jealousy,  of  the  chiefs.  A  public 
meeting  was  summoned,  and  Crowther  gave  a  speech 
in  Yoruba,  describing  the  events  which  had  led  to 
their  coming,  and  what  the  purposes  of  the  mission 
would  be.  Contributions  were  not  wanting  towards 
the  new  premises  required  for  the  work,  everybody 
gave  at  least  one  thousand  cowTies,  equal  to  two 
shillings  and  sixpence  English  (which  would  have 
broken  the  record  in  any  missionary  meeting  in  the 
white  man's  land),  and  Sagbua,  with  a  chairman's 
generosity,  gave  20,000  cowries  and  a  sheep  into  the 
bargain.  Crowther  shrewdly  remarks  that  this  copious 
collection  did  not  strike  him  after  all  as  so  remarkable. 
"No  wonder;  some  of  the  chiefs  had  liberated  rela- 
tives of  their  own,  sitting  by  them  at  the  very  time." 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD       95 

A  piece  of  land  liaving  been  allotted,  the  mission- 
aries began  to  enlist  their  friends  in  the  task  of  building 
a  house  for  the  Lord,  Women  fetched  the  clay  with 
which  to  make  the  walls,  and  to  these  helpers  they 
gave  threepence  each.  The  labour  difficulty  with 
them  was,  however,  just  the  reverse  of  its  common 
complaint  in  the  white  man's  land.  So  many  offers 
of  assistance  came  that  they  reduced  the  pay  to  two- 
pence, but  nearly  four  hundred  applied.  To  thin  their 
ranks  the  rate  was  again  reduced  to  one  penny, 
when  six  hundred  and  seventy  offered,  and  even  then 
a  huge  crowd  of  willing  but  unemployed  stood  all  day 
lost  in  admiration  at  the  way  the  women  worked, 
exclaiming,  "  God  is  great,  white  men  have  sense." 
The  result  of  all  this  industry  was  a  quite  respectable 
church  with  glass  windows,  smooth  boards  for  flooring, 
and  generally,  considering  it  was  native  handiwork, 
good  workmanlike  finish. 

During  this  visit  to  Abeokuta  Crowther  had  re- 
ceived intelligence  that  his  mother  was  still  alive 
with  his  sisters  at  the  neighbouring  town  of  Abake. 
He  therefore  lost  no  time  in  sending  for  them,  and 
the  news  seemed  so  incredible  that  the  sisters  would 
not  act  on  it.  But  the  old  mother's  heart  had  more 
faith,  and  in  the  company  of  one  of  Crowther 's  half- 
brothers  she  started  for  Abeokuta,  The  meeting, 
so  sacred  and  wonderful,  must  not  be  described  in 
any  words  but  those  of  Crowther  himself  : 

The  text  for  to-day  in  the  Christian  Almanac  is  "  Thou  art 
the  Helper  of  the  fatherless."  I  have  never  felt  the  force  of 
this  text  more  than  I  did  this  day,  as  I  have  to  relate  that 


96      FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

my  mother,  from  whom  I  was  torn  away  about  five-and- 
twenty  years  ago,  came  with  my  brother  in  quest  of  me. 
When  she  saw  me  she  trembled.  She  could  not  believe  her 
own  eyes.  We  grasped  one  another,  looking  at  one  another 
in  silence  and  great  astonishment,  while  the  big  tears  rolled 
down  her  emaciated  cheeks.  She  trembled  as  she  held  me  by 
the  hand  and  called  me  by  the  familiar  names  which  I  well 
remember  I  used  to  be  called  by  my  grandmother,  who  has 
since  died  in  slavery.  We  could  not  say  much,  but  sat  still, 
casting  many  an  affectionate  look  towards  each  other,  a  look 
which  violence  and  oppression  had  long  checked,  an  affection 
which  twenty -five  years  had  not  extinguished.  My  two 
sisters,  who  were  captured  with  me,  and  their  children  are  all 
residing  with  my  mother.  I  cannot  describe  my  feelings.  I 
had  given  up  all  hope,  and  now,  after  a  separation  of  twenty- 
five  years,  without  any  plan  or  device  of  mine,  we  were 
brought  together  again. 

The  story  she  had  to  tell  her  son  was  full  of  very- 
sorrowful  remembrance.  After  he  had  been  taken 
to  the  coast  she  and  her  daughters  regained  their 
liberty,  and  went  to  live  with  the  half-brother,  who 
had  redeemed  them.  They  could  hear  nothing  of 
the  lost  Adjai.  The  sisters  married,  and  after  a  time 
of  peace  and  safety,  one  day  when  the  mother  and 
her  eldest  daughter  were  going  to  market,  they  were 
kidnapped,  and  the  daughter  had  to  be  ransomed  by 
her  husband.  But  the  poor  old  mother  was  dragged 
from  place  to  place,  exposed  for  sale  in  the  market 
place,  and  being  so  aged  was  made  a  domestic  slave. 
She  was  sent  by  her  mistress  to  Abeokuta,  and,  again 
captured  on  the  road,  sold  into  hard  and  bitter  bon- 
dage, until  her  daughter  collected  cowries  sufficient 
and  bought  her  back  for  £4  los. 

There  is  something  inexpressibly  touching  in  this 
reunion  between  mother  and  son,  and  also  that  she 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD      97 

should  become  his  first  convert  in  Abeokuta.  She, 
of  course,  accepted  his  fihal  offer  to  come  and  stay 
with  him,  but  he  was  pained  at  heart  often  to  see  how 
she  was  still  without  knowledge  of  the  true  God  and 
in  heathen  darkness  of  soul.  This  happy  event  of 
meeting  her  son  once  more  she  attributed  to  the  in- 
fluence of  his  deceased  father  in  the  unseen  world. 
But  one  bright  day  she  accepted  Christ  as  her  Saviour, 
and  was  able  to  mingle  her  weak  and  quavering  voice 
with  the  prayers  of  her  son.  Her  change  of  heart 
was  in  part  due  to  an  illness,  and  it  was  an  abound- 
ing joy  to  Crowther  when  she  quietly  told  him,  "  Had 
I  been  left  alone  I  should  have  attributed  my  sickness 
to  this  or  that  deity,  and  should  have  made  sacrifices 
accordingly ;  but  now  I  have  seen  the  folly  of  so  doing, 
all  my  hopes  are  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  whom  now 
I  serve." 

She  was  baptized  with  the  appropriate  Christian 
name  of  Hannah  by  her  son  Samuel  on  5  February, 
1848,  and  lived  to  be  over  a  hundred  years  old. 

The  work  at  Abeokuta  made  so  much  progress  that 
Crowther,  in  a  letter  home,  dated  3  August,  1849, 
wrote  : 

This  mission  is  to-day  three  years  old.  What  has  God 
wrought  in  that  short  period  !  We  have  500  constant  atten- 
dants on  the  means  of  grace,  80  Communicants,  and  200 
candidates  for  baptism. 

Mr.  Townsend  had  to  return  home  on  account  of 
his  wife's  ill-health,  and  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Muller  and 
Crowther  were  joined  in  May  by  the  Rev.  D.  Hinderer, 
a    most    valuable    helper.     At    this    time    Crowther 


98      FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

and  his  family  had  made  their  home  at  Abeokuta,  the 
children  still  young  in  years.  An  interesting  incident, 
with  its  personal  touch,  then  occurred.  The  mission 
had  already  attracted  much  attention  in  England, 
and  a  little  girl  in  the  West  of  England  made  some 
childish  sacrifices  in  order  to  send  a  few  picture 
books  for  Crowther's  little  ones  in  their  African 
home.  This  youthful  helper  of  the  missionary  cause 
is  an  old  lady  now,  but  she  has  preserved  as  a  precious 
memento  the  letter  from  Crowther's  daughter  Julianna, 
written  by  her  father's  hand,  but  evidently  at  the 
dictation  of  his  tiny  girl.  It  is  dated  from  Abeokuta, 
II  June,  1849,  and  gives  us  a  peep  into  the  home  life 
of  the  Crowthers  at  this  time : 

My  dear  Ellen, — My  papa  read  your  kind  letter  to  me  and 
Dandeson,  and  gave  us  the  little  books  which  you  denied  your- 
self the  pleasure  of  sweet  sugar  plums  in  order  to  purchase  for 
us.  We  like  them  very  much,  and  as  we  cannot  understand 
all  that  they  contain  yet,  our  papa  has  kept  them  in  good 
order  for  us  till  we  can  read  them  through  and  understand  all 
in  them.  He  carefully  put  them  up  in  envelopes,  but  we  hke 
now  and  then  to  look  at  them  and  return  them  to  him  for 
safe  keeping.  I  remember  the  time  very  well  when  we  were 
crossing  the  river  on  the  backs  of  our  carriers,  but  Dandeson, 
being  much  younger,  almost  forgets  all  about  it ;  the  journey 
of  four  days  in  the  bush  on  the  backs  of  men  was  very  tire- 
some. I  have  seen  the  picture  of  our  crossing  that  river, 
called  Mojuba. 

My  papa  has  a  great  deal  to  do.  As  I  myself  cannot  write 
a  good  letter  yet,  he  has  kindly  done  it  for  me.  I  am  learning 
to  write  in  copy-books  which  papa  gave  to  me,  and  I  hope 
by  and  by  to  be  able  to  write  myself,  as  my  elder  sister,  who 
is  now  in  England,  can  do.  Miss  Lanfear  saw  her.  My 
mamma  teaches  me  to  sew  and  to  mark  on  canvas,  and  I  shall 
soon  be  able  to  master  all  my  letters.  I  have  some  native 
school  companions  living  with  mamma  ;  they  knew  not  a 
letter  when  they  first  came,  and  did  not  know  how  to  hold 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD       99 

needles,  but  since  mamma  has  taken  pains  with  them  they 
can  now  hem  and  make  stitches,  and  they  learn  to  read  very 
fast  in  the  school.  Four  of  them  have  been  baptized  by  papa 
at  the  earnest  request  of  their  parents. 

I  hope  you  will  pray  for  us  all  that  we  may  grow  up  good 
children  and  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  from  our  childhood. 

My  mamma  desires  her  kind  love  to  you  and  your  kind 
aunt,  who  wrote  your  letter. 

Dandeson  is  gone  to  bed,  but  I  am  sure  he  would  also  send 
his  love  to  you.  Our  grandmamma  is  quite  well ;  she  has 
been  baptized. 

I  remain. 

Yours  affectionately, 

JULIANNA   CROWTHER. 

But  news  of  the  approach  of  a  Dahomian  army 
soon  plunged  the  devoted  city  into  wild  excitement 
and  dismay.  Everybody,  including  the  missionaries, 
knew  that  the  miscreant  who  called  himself  the  King 
of  Dahomey  had  determined  to  utterly  make  an  end 
of  this  Abeokuta,  which  stood  so  much  in  his  way  as 
a  slave  trader.  At  first  it  seemed  as  though  they  were 
helpless  and  at  his  mercy,  and  that  the  city  built  up 
with  such  patriotism  and  patience,  and  the  mission 
work  with  its  peaceful  success,  were  to  be  wiped  out 
amid  a  wholesale  slaughter  of  the  inhabitants.  At  the 
outset  the  Egbas  failed  to  hold  back  the  enemy  at  the 
ford,  and  retreating,  waited  on  the  walls  to  repel  the 
assault.  For  a  long  time  both  sides  exchanged  musketry 
fire,  much  to  the  advantage  of  the  defenders,  who 
were  partly  under  shelter,  and  then,  after  resisting 
many  attacks,  the  Egbas  made  a  sortie,  and  the 
Dahomian  army  turned  tail  and  fled.  Some  of  the 
famous  Amazons  were  captured,  but  many  of  the 
enemy    fell    in    battle.     It    was    a    glorious    victory, 


100     FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

and  a  merciful  deliverance  for  Abeokuta,  to  the  Egbas 
akin  to  the  defeat  of  the  Spanish  Armada.  On 
the  day  following  Crowther  picked  his  way  over 
the  battlefield,  and  was  grieved  to  notice  on  the 
side  of  the  enemy  almost  as  many  women  slain  as 
men. 

This  occurred  in  March,  1851,  and  soon  afterwards 
Crowther  came  on  his  third  visit  to  England,  reaching 
London  on  13  August  of  that  year.  Before  going, 
however,  he  had  the  opportunity  of  explaining  to 
the  chiefs  and  people  a  very  gracious  message  which 
had  arrived  from  the  Queen  of  England.  This  was 
in  answer  to  a  letter  which  they,  on  their  own  initiative, 
had  addressed  to  her,  and  sent  by  the  hand  of  Mr. 
Townsend.  In  it  they  spoke  with  gratitude  of  the 
missionaries.  "  We  have  seen  your  servants  the 
missionaries,  whom  you  have  sent  to  us  in  this  country. 
What  they  have  done  is  agreeable  to  us.  They  have 
built  a  house  of  God.  They  have  taught  the  people 
the  Word  of  God,  and  our  children  besides.  We  begin 
to  understand  them."  But  the  burden  of  their 
letter  was  the  sorrows  of  slavery,  and  to  implore  the 
good  white  Queen  to  deal  summarily  with  the  people 
on  the  coast  at  Lagos  who  still  thrived  on  the  traffic 
in  flesh  and  blood.  The  gracious  reply  of  Her  Majesty, 
sent  through  the  Earl  of  Chichester,  was  delivered 
at  a  great  gathering  of  chiefs,  and  at  the  same  time 
Sagbua  was  presented  with  some  gifts  which  ac- 
companied it,  two  beautifully  bound  Bibles  and  a  steel 
com  miU  from  Prince  Albert.  Crowther  translated 
the  kindly  letter  in  these  words  : 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD     loi 

The  Queen  and  people  of  England  (he  explained)  are  very 
glad  to  hear  that  Sagbua  and  the  chiefs  think  as  they  do  upon 
the  subject  of  commerce.  But  commerce  alone  will  not  make 
a  nation  great  and  happy  like  England.  England  has  become 
great  and  happy  by  the  knowledge  of  the  true  God  and  Jesus 
Christ.  The  Queen  is  therefore  very  glad  to  hear  that  Sagbua 
and  the  chiefs  have  so  kindly  received  the  missionaries,  who 
carry  with  them  the  Word  of  God,  and  that  so  many  of  the 
people  are  willing  to  hear  it. 

The  reading  of  this  message  created  a  profound 
impression  upon  the  King  and  his  great  warriors 
as  they  sat  in  the  outer  court  of  the  Council  House 
at  Ake.  Crowther  then  proceeded  to  show  them  the 
two  handsome  Bibles  which  had  been  sent  to  them, 
and  he  took  the  opportunity  of  reminding  Sagbua 
that  in  reading  therein  he  would  see  that  King  David, 
Jehoshaphat,  Hezekiah,  and  Josiah  had  prosperous 
and  glorious  reigns  because  they  feared  God,  and  led 
the  people  in  His  worship  and  service  ;  on  the  other 
hand  he  pointed  out  that  when  Israel  rejected  God 
and  turned  to  idolatry  and  sin,  they  were  punished 
with  severe  judgments. 

After  this  Crowther  brought  forward  the  wonderful 
steel  mill  which  Prince  Albert  had  sent  for  their  use. 
The  whole  crowd  watched  with  eager  eyes  full  of 
curiosity,  and  when  some  Indian  corn  was  put  in, 
the  handle  turned,  and  fine  flour  poured  forth,  their 
delight  knew  no  bounds.  An  incident  a  few  days 
later  showed  that  Sagbua,  however  impressed  by 
the  words  of  the  missionaries  and  the  message  of 
the  Queen,  was  still  at  heart  a  heathen.  Crowther 
was  talking  to  him  when  he  solemnly  asked  whether 
he  ought  not  to  offer  some  sacrifice  to  the  beautiful 


102     FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

things  which  he  had  received.     Astonished,  Crowther 

asked,  "  What  things  ?    the  corn  mill  or  the  Bibles  ?  " 

"  The  Bibles,"  was  the  prompt  reply.     After  reading 

from  Scripture  some  passages  about  idolatry,  it  was 

explained  to  the  chief  how  such  an  offering  would  be 

at  variance  with   its   teaching.     Ogubonna,  however, 

seems  to  have  taken  the  matter  much  more  to  heart, 

for  he  spoke  to  Crowther  of  the  deep  impression  the 

meeting  had  made  on  him,  and  gave  it  as  his  firm 

persuasion  that  in  six  years  Christianity  would  become 

the  national  faith  of  Abeokuta. 

During  Crowther's  brief  stay  in  England  he  had 

an  interview  with  Lord  Palmerston,  to  explain  to  the 

Foreign  Secretary  the  political  position  on  the  West 

Coast,  and  especially  Abeokuta,  and  how  that  the  King 

of   Dahomey   was   not    only   an    unscrupulous    slave 

trader,  but  was  injuring  the  interests  of   commerce 

and  civilization  on  the  coast.     On  i8  December,  1851, 

Lord    Palmerston    addressed    a    letter    to    Crowther, 

expressing  his  pleasure  at  having  had  this  interview  ; 

he  added  : 

I  am  glad  to  have  an  opportunity  of  thanking  you  again 
for  the  important  and  interesting  information  with  regard 
to  Abeokuta  which  you  communicated  to  me  when  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  you  at  my  house  in  August  last.  I  request 
that  you  will  assure  your  countrymen  that  Her  Majesty's 
Government  take  a  lively  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  Egba 
nation  and  of  the  community  settled  at  Abeokuta,  which  town 
seems  to  be  a  centre  from  which  the  lights  of  Christianity  and 
of  civilization  may  be  spread  over  the  neighbouring  countries. 

It  was  an  honour  to  receive  this  letter,  but  a  still 
greater  distinction  was  in  store.  One  day  Lord 
Wriothesley   Russell   asked   Crowther   to   accompany 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD     103 

him  to  Windsor,  where  he  was  very  kindly  received 
by  the  Prince  Consort,  who  discussed  with  interest 
the  position  of  affairs  on  the  West  Coast  of  Africa, 
following  the  story  by  reference  to  a  large  map. 
Presently  a  lady  came  into  the  room,  and  entered 
into  the  conversation,  and  it  was  only  by  a  word 
dropped  by  Lord  Russell  that  Crowther  knew  that 
he  was  in  the  presence  of  the  Queen  herself.  For  a 
moment  he  was  quite  overcome,  but  she  soon  put  him 
at  his  ease  again,  and  the  gracious  lady  listened 
with  deep  interest  as  he  spoke  of  the  steadfastness 
of  the  native  Christians  in  his  country  under  such 
cruel  persecution  and  trial.  This  interview  with 
Her  Majesty  Crowther  never  forgot.  Indeed,  it  was 
his  practice,  when  his  children  were  young,  to  relate 
to  them  this  wonderful  story  of  their  father's  Ufe, 
and  even  wrote  it  out  for  them  to  read.  This  graphic 
and  most  interesting  narrative  has  happily  been  pre- 
served, and  is  here  given,  word  for  word,  just  as 
Crowther  told  it : 

"  Through  the  kind  recommendation  of  the  then 
Hon.  Secretary  of  the  C.M.S.,  the  late  Rev.  Henry 
Venn,  on  the  slave  trade  question  agitating  the  minds 
of  the  Members  of  Parhament  at  that  time,  on  18 
November,  1851,  at  4.30  p.m.,  Lord  Wriothesley 
Russell  kindly  took  me  to  the  Palace  at  Windsor. 
On  our  arrival  there  Prince  Albert  was  not  in  ;  the 
servants  in  waiting  went  about  to  seek  him.  While 
we  were  waiting  in  a  drawing-room  I  could  not  help 
looking  round  at  the  magnificence  of  the  room  ghtter- 
ing  with  gold,  the  carpet,  chairs,  etc.,   all  brilliant. 


104     FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

While  in  this  state  of  mind  the  door  was  opened,  and 
I  saw  a  lady  gorgeously  dressed,  with  a  long  train, 
step  gracefully  in.  I  thought  she  was  the  Queen. 
I  rose  at  once,  and  was  ready  to  kneel  and  pay  my 
obeisance  ;  but  she  simply  bowed  to  us,  said  not  a 
word,  took  something  from  the  mantelpiece,  and 
retired.  After  she  left  Lord  Russell  told  me  that 
she  was  one  of  the  Ladies-in-waiting.  '  Well,'  I  said 
to  myself,  '  if  a  Lady-in-waiting  is  so  superbly  dressed, 
what  will  be  that  of  the  Queen  herself  !  '  Soon  we 
were  invited  to  an  upper  drawing-room,  more  richly 
furnished  than  the  first.  Here  we  met  Prince  Albert 
standing  by  a  writing-table.  Lord  Russell  made 
obeisance  and  introduced  me,  and  I  made  obeisance. 
A  few  words  of  introductory  remarks  led  to  conversa- 
tion about  West  Africa,  and  Abeokuta  in  particular. 
The  Prince  asked  whether  we  could  find  the  place  on 
any  map,  or  thereabouts.  I  then  showed  the  position 
in  the  large  map  from  the  Blue  Book,  and  brought 
out  from  my  pocket  the  small  one  which  Samuel 
[his  eldest  son]  had  made  on  the  section  of  the  slave 
trade  influence,  with  the  different  towns  and  seaports 
legibly  shown.  About  this  time  a  lady  came  in, 
simply  dressed,  and  the  Prince  looking  behind  him, 
introduced  her  to  Lord  Russell,  but  in  so  quick  a  way 
that  I  could  not  catch  the  sound.  This  lady  and  the 
Prince  turned  towards  the  map  to  find  out  Abeokuta 
and  Sierra  Leone,  where  the  slaves  are  liberated. 
All  this  time  I  was  in  blissful  ignorance  of  the  Great 
Majesty  before  whom  I  stood,  was  conversing  freely 
and  answering  every  question  put  to  me  about  the 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD     105 

way  slaves  are  entrapped  in  their  homes,  or  caught 
as  captives  in  war.  On  inquiry  I  gave  them  the  history 
of  how  I  was  caught  and  sold,  to  which  all  of  them 
listened  with  breathless  attention.  It  was  getting 
dark,  a  lamp  was  got,  and  the  Prince  was  anxious  to 
find  and  define  the  relative  positions  of  the  different 
places  on  the  map,  especially  Lagos,  which  was  the 
principal  seaport  from  which  Yoruba  slaves  were 
shipped  ;  and  when  the  Prince  wanted  to  open  the 
Blue  Book  map  wider,  it  blew  the  lamp  out  altogether, 
and  there  was  a  burst  of  laughter  from  the  Prince,  the 
lady,  and  Lord  Russell.  The  Prince  then  said, 
'  Will  your  Majesty  kindly  bring  us  a  candle  from 
the  mantelpiece  ?  '  On  hearing  this  I  became  aware 
of  the  person  before  whom  I  was  all  the  time.  I 
trembled  from  head  to  foot,  and  could  not  open  my 
mouth  to  answer  the  questions  that  followed. 

"  Lord  Russell  and  the  Prince  told  me  not  to  be 
frightened,  and  the  smiles  on  the  face  of  the  good 
Queen  assured  me  that  she  was  not  angry  at  the 
liberty  I  took  in  speaking  so  freely  before  her,  and  so 
my  fears  subsided.  I  pointed  out  Lagos,  the  par- 
ticular object  of  inquiry,  and  told  them  that  I  with 
others  were  shipped  from  that  place,  and  showed  the 
facility  which  that  port  has,  beyond  all  the  other 
ports,  as  a  depot,  being  much  nearer,  and  the  port 
of  the  highway  to  the  interior  Yoruba  countries. 
The  Prince  said  :  '  Lagos  must  be  knocked  down, 
by  all  means  ;  as  long  as  they  have  the  lake  (lagoon) 
to  screen  themselves,  and  the  men-of-war  outside,  it 
is  of  no  use.' 


io6     FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

"The  Queen  was  highly  pleased  to  hear  this.  Lord 
Russell  then  mentioned  my  translations  into  the 
Yoruba  language,  and  I  repeated,  by  request,  the 
Lord's  Prayer  in  the  Yoruba,  which  the  Queen  said 
was  a  soft  and  melodious  language.  Lord  Russell 
informed  the  Queen  of  my  having  seen  Sir  H.  Leeke, 
who  rescued  me  and  others  from  the  slave  ship  many 
years  ago,  which  interested  her  very  much.  She 
was  told  that  Mrs.  Crowther  was  recaptured  in  the 
same  way  that  I  was,  and  she  asked  whether  she  was 
in  England,  and  was  told  no.  She  asked  after  SaUy 
Forbes  Bonetta,  the  Yoruba  African  young  girl 
rescued  from  Dahomey.  After  these  questions  she 
withdrew  with  a  marked  farewell  gesture." 

Before  he  returned  to  his  native  land  Crowther 
addressed  a  large  audience  composed  of  the  students 
of  the  University  of  Cambridge,  and  appealed  to  them 
with  touching  earnestness  for  missionaries,  who  would 
preach  the  Gospel  to  his  people  on  the  West  Coast 
of  Africa.     His  closing  words  were  : 

St.  Paul  saw  in  a  vision  a  man  of  Macedonia,  who  prayed 
him  to  come  over  to  his  assistance.  But  it  is  no  vision  that 
you  see  now  ;  it  is  a  real  man  of  Africa  that  stands  before  you, 
and  on  behalf  of  his  countrymen  invites  you  to  come  over 
into  Africa  and  help  us. 

On  5  December,  1851,  the  old  parochial  schoolroom 
in  Church  Street,  Islington,  was  the  scene  of  a  very 
interesting  gathering,  to  which  Crowther  and  his  wife, 
with  another  missionary,  said  good-bye  on  their 
leaving    for   West    Africa.     The    Earl   of    Chichester, 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD     107 

the  President  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society, 
presided,  and  amongst  many  well-known  friends  of 
the  cause  was  the  Rev.  Daniel  Wilson,  the  excellent 
Vicar  of  IsHngton.  The  speeches  were  not  many, 
chiefly  the  Rev.  Henry  Venn,  clerical  secretary,  con- 
veying the  wishes  of  the  committee ;  but  the  reply  of 
Crowther,  who  with  his  wife  attracted  the  greatest 
attention,  sitting  there  with  their  bright  eyes  suffused 
with  emotion,  two  black  faces  amid  a  concourse  of 
white  men,  is  happily  preserved  to  us. 

Presently  the  secretary  arose,  and  thanked  God 
for  all  that  had  been  done  since  the  Yoruba  mission 
eight  years  ago,  and  how  very  merciful  He  had  been 
in  delivering  Abeokuta  from  the  hordes  of  the  King 
of  Dahomey.  Then  in  earnest  tones  he  gave  many 
discreet  cautions  to  the  outgoing  missionaries  that 
they  might  be  "  harmless  as  doves  "  in  the  midst  of 
the  people.  He  congratulated  Crowther  upon  his 
tactful  dealing  with  the  chiefs,  and  urged  him  to  be 
careful  in  deahng  with  their  enemies,  the  slave  traders, 
the  Mohammedans,  the  native  priests,  and  the  ignorant 
heathen.  And  then  he  turned  to  the  future,  and 
seemed  to  see  already  the  dawn  of  those  days  of  blessing 
which  were  to  follow.  He  begged  them  to  remember 
that  the  future  character  of  the  Christian  Church  in 
West  Africa  was  at  stake,  and  their  policy  and  in- 
dividual action  would  influence  it.  Their  sphere  of 
labour  was  very  different  from  India  or  New  Zealand, 
where  other  missionaries  had  been  on  the  ground 
before  ;  but  here  on  the  Niger  they  would  have  not 
only   to   spread   Christianity,   but   fix   its   character, 


io8     FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

organize  a  native  Church,  create  a  Christian  literature, 
and  lay  plans  for  days  to  come. 

He  asked  them  to  aim  at  self-government  and  self- 
support,  to  put  the  Bible  in  the  hands  of  the  people, 
and  said  how  much  they  were  already  indebted  to 
Crowther  for  his  translation  into  Yoruban  of  a  great 
portion  of  the  Holy  Scripture  and  the  Liturgy. 
They  were  recommended  also  to  start  an  educational 
institution  at  Abeokuta  for  young  men  and  young 
women.  He  then  turned  to  Mrs.  Crowther,  and  told 
her  how  heartily  England  welcomed  her  as  the  help- 
meet of  her  husband,  and  how  important  they  all 
felt  her  position  was  as  the  first  Christian  mother  in 
Abeokuta,  and  they  rejoiced  that  her  own  children 
were  also  an  example  to  others : 

May  she  return  with  a  double  blessing  to  her  country- 
women !  May  she  indeed  be  a  mother  to  that  spiritual  Israel 
in  the  wilderness  of  Africa  !  And  may  the  native  Church, 
once  confined  to  the  house  of  Samuel  Crowther,  become  a 
national  Church,  but  still  retaining  its  character  as  an  aggre- 
gation of  Christian  households,  bound  together  by  one  common 
tie  of  love  and  union  with  Christ,  in  whom  all  the  families  of 
the  earth  are  blessed  ! 

When  Crowther  arose  to  speak  his  heart  was  very 
full,  and  amid  a  deep  and  impressive  silence  he  re- 
minded the  audience  that  eight  years  ago,  in  company 
with  a  great  company  of  missionaries,  he  first  received 
his  commission  with  much  fear  and  trembhng.  He 
feared  because  he  had  a  doubt  in  his  own  mind  whether 
it  was  possible  to  obtain  an  entrance  into  a  country 
which  the  slave  trade  had  rendered  so  difficult  of 
access  ;   but  the  promise  of  Him  who  said,  "  Lo,  I  am 


FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD     109 

with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,"  had 
been  fulfilled.  He  drew  attention  to  the  importance 
of  the  time  he  had  been  able  to  use  in  translation, 
so  that  the  Word  of  God,  at  any  rate  a  part  of  it,  was 
now  in  the  hands  of  their  converts,  and  they  made 
it  a  topic  of  conversation  in  their  homes  and  on  their 
farms,  and  its  influence  had  also  been  felt  in  the  war 
camp.  With  a  fervent  optimism  he  spoke  hopefully 
of  his  nation.  They  were  an  industrious  people, 
anxious  for  trade  and  commerce.  They  were  weary 
of  the  slave  traffic  and  sighed  to  be  relieved  from  it. 
This  was  their  great  enemy,  and  when  this  was  removed 
there  was  nothing  to  disappoint  the  expectation  that 
Christianity  would  extend  rapidly  to  the  Niger. 

These  native  Christians  (he  said)  are  quite  ready  with  a 
reason  for  the  truth  as  it  is  in  them,  and  can  stand  their 
ground  bravely.  When  during  the  fierce  days  of  persecution 
at  Abeokuta  they  were  required  to  renounce  Christianity, 
they  were  enabled  to  reply  :  "  You  elder  chiefs  admitted  the 
teachers  without  consulting  us.  When  you  did  so,  they  told 
you  what  they  were  going  to  teach,  and  that  they  had  no 
cloth,  no  tobacco  to  give.  You  gave  them  admission.  Then 
why  do  you  now  hinder  us  from  going  to  them  ?  The  Book 
and  the  religion  which  they  teach  we  consider  this  as  our 
share.  When  they  came  we  had  no  part  of  the  gifts  which 
you  received  from  them.  When  you  promised  them  that  they 
should  have  children  to  teach,  we  had  no  share  of  the  presents. 
Now  this  instruction  is  our  share." 

These  natives  (pursued  Crowther)  are  quite  ready  for 
employment  in  the  cultivation  of  cotton  in  the  country,  of 
which  I  have  hopes  that  a  real  trade  will  be  one  day  estab- 
lished. 

Brethren,  believe  me,  these  Christian  natives  of  Abeokuta 
do  not  wish  to  keep  the  Gospel  to  themselves.  Already  they 
have  promised  that  teachers  should  be  sent  to  other  towns ; 
nor  do  they  fail,  wherever  they  go,  to  speak  of  what  they  know. 
I  am  going  back  to  my  own  land  with  great  hope  in  my  heart, 


no     FROM  COLLEGE  TO  MISSION  FIELD 

feeling  much  blessed  and  encouraged,  and  have  only  to  ask 
that  my  many  kind  friends  in  England  will  continue  to  pray 
for  me  and  for  the  salvation  of  my  people. 

At  the  close  of  this  meeting  many  crowded  round 
Crowther  and  his  wife  to  wish  them  God-speed,  and 
a  few  days  afterwards  they  had  set^sail,  and  were 
once  more  on  their  way  to  their  native  land. 


CHAPTER    IV 


UP  THE   NIGER   AGAIN 


WHEN  Crowther  arrived  at  Sierra  Leone  he 
was  heartily  welcomed  by  many  old  friends. 
In  many  respects  it  was  a  homecoming,  for  it  was 
here  that  he  first  experienced  the  blessing  of  Christian 
love,  and  his  young  mind  had  begun  to  lay  in  store 
those  firstfruits  of  knowledge  for  which  it  hungered. 
He  was  a  boy  then,  and  ran  these  streets  barefoot 
with  his  slate  and  books  ;  then  as  a  young  man  he 
was  student  and  afterwards  tutor  of  the  College  on 
the  head  of  Fourah  Bay  ;  here,  too,  he  asked  the 
schoolmistress  at  Bathurst  to  become  his  wife.  What 
memories  were  awakened  by  these  familiar  scenes  ! 

Although  Abeokuta  was  his  destination,  he  remained 
some  time  at  Sierra  Leone,  and  whenever  he  preached 
the  churches  were  crowded  to  hear  him.  In  some 
cases  he  spoke  in  English,  but  the  people  were  always 
anxious  to  hear  him  in  his  own  tongue,  and  afterwards 
he  would  often  give  them  a  little  discourse  in  the 
Yoruba  language  to  their  pleasure  and  profit.  In  some 
cases  where  he  would  be  preaching  to  the  people  in 
English,  and  there  occurred  any  text  of  special  diffi- 
culty, he  would  drop  into  his  native  tongue,  so  that 

III 


112  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

he  might  more  perfectly  explain  it  to  his  countrymen. 
Before  leaving  Sierra  Leone  he  attended  a  missionary 
meeting  which  was  crowded  with  people,  who  listened 
with  profound  attention  as  he  told  the  story  of  the 
work  at  Abeokuta,  how  the  converts  stood  the  fire 
of  persecution,  and  what  a  grand  future  appeared  to 
be  in  store  for  this  famous  city,  the  rallying-point  of 
his  scattered  nation.  Many  who  listened  to  this 
address  recognized  the  names  of  places  and  people, 
and  aU  were  proud  to  think  that  one  of  their  own 
nation  should  have  been  so  honoured  as  to  become 
a  clergyman. 

On  14  June  he  reached  Lagos,  and  here  again  the 
site  of  a  never-to-be-forgotten  event  awoke  many 
thoughts.  He  was  able  to  point  out  to  Mrs.  Crowther 
the  very  spot  from  which,  in  1822,  he  had  been  forcibly 
shipped  as  a  slave  boy.  He  remembered  so  well  his 
trembling  at  the  unaccustomed  sight  of  so  much 
water,  and  his  simple  and  unfounded  fears  when  on 
the  safe  deck  of  the  English  ship  of  war.  Walking 
over  the  old  places  again,  he  stopped  to  take  off  his 
hat  and  reverently  thank  God  on  the  very  bit  of  shore 
where  he  with  others  was  chained  to  the  slave  hut. 
In  after  years  he  often  said,  "  What  hath  God 
wrought !  "  but  he  felt  his  own  personal  history  the 
greatest  miracle  of  mercy.  One  of  the  reasons  for 
his  thankfulness  at  this  time  was  the  sight  of  so 
much  change  and  improvement  and  civilization  show- 
ing itself  everywhere.  Crowther  was  an  ardent 
patriot,  the  love  of  country  and  tribe  beat  in  his 
bosom,   and   he   rejoiced   that   instead   of   degrading 


MARKET    PLACE,    LAGOS 


To  face  page  112 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  113 

slavery  on  all  hands  were   to   be  seen  the  peaceful 
pursuits  of  trade.     He  writes  : 

I  could  well  recollect  many  places  I  knew  during  my 
captivity,  so  I  went  over  the  spots  where  slave  barracoons 
used  to  be.  Wliat  a  difference  !  Some  of  the  spots  are  now 
converted  into  plantations  of  maize  or  cassava,  and  sheds 
built  on  others  are  filled  with  casks  of  palm  oil  and  other 
merchandise,  instead  of  slaves  in  chains  and  irons,  in  agony 
and  despair. 

When,  in  due  course,  Crowther  reached  Abeokuta, 
a  large  number  of  Christian  natives  came  to  welcome 
him,  and  the  other  missionaries  there  were  equally 
glad  to  have  him  back  again.  He  found  the  work 
going  on  apace,  and  during  his  next  two  or  three 
years  he  was  enabled  to  make  progress  with  translating 
the  early  books  of  the  New  Testament.  In  the  course 
of  this  labour  he  found  many  of  the  laws  and  customs 
of  his  own  nation  in  harmony  with  those  given  to 
ancient  Israel,  and  he  noted  that  many  Yoruba 
words  were  related  to  the  Hebrew.  These  Yoruba 
countrymen  of  Crowther's  were  a  wideawake  and  in- 
telligent people  in  many  respects.  He  relates  an 
interview  with  one,  upon  whose  attention  he  was 
urging  the  claims  of  Christianity  : 

One  man,  an  Ifa  priest,  spoke  very  sensibly.  "  Softly  you 
must  go  with  us,"  was  his  first  answer,  "  or  you  will  spoil  the 
whole  matter  ;  stretch  the  bow  too  much  and  it  will  break. 
Remember  how  deeply  we  are  rooted  in  heathenism.  We 
cannot  get  out  of  it  all  at  once."  I  thought,  and  said  :  "If 
you  would  even  make  a  beginning  at  once  on  the  '  new  road,' 
as  they  call  it,  you  would  still  leave  us  scope  enough  to  exer- 
cise patience."  His  answer  was  :  "  Some  time  ago,  in  a 
conversation  with  your  servants,  I  was,  among  other  things, 
told  that  a  man  who  serves  God  could  no  more  steal,  no  more 
deceive,  no  more  commit  adultery.     These  words  we  have  as 


114  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

we  remember,  but  our  eyes  are  watching  your  hands  also,  to 
see  what  they  do.  Only  have  a  little  patience.  After  some 
time  we  shall  see  if  the  works  of  your  hands  agree  with  the 
words  of  your  mouth  ;  then  we  shall  consider  again  if  this 
new  way  will  suit  us  also." 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  early  history  of  the 
Crowther  family  was  in  past  times  associated  with 
the  Kingdom  of  Ketu,  and  on  5  January,  1853,  we 
find  him  making  a  journey  from  Abeokuta  on  a  visit 
thither.     Here  he  had  some  striking  experiences. 

He  tells  us  that  on  reaching  the  old  town  of  Ilogun 
he  heard  that  the  white  men  crossed  through  there 
some  years  before ;  these  he  believed  to  be  the  travellers 
Clapperton  and  the  Landers.  Arriving  at  Ketu,  he 
lodged  with  Asai,  the  Prime  Minister,  who  gave  him 
a  warm  welcome,  shaking  him  by  the  hand,  and  saying  : 
"  Crowther,  I  have  at  last  seen  you  face  to  face. 
I  am  very  glad  to  see  you."  Next  day  he  had  an 
interview  with  the  King  in  a  large  room,  with  holes, 
as  in  a  pigeon  house,  perforated  in  the  walls,  through 
which  his  Majesty  looked  upon  his  people  when  they 
came  to  plead  their  wrongs.  He  was  wearing  an  old 
pair  of  red  carpet  slippers,  which  had  been  sent  by 
Crowther  by  the  hand  of  Captain  Trotter  years  before. 
Over  his  cotton  patchwork  gown  he  had  draped  himself 
with  a  piece  of  red  damask,  and  on  his  regal  brow  he 
wore  a  crown  studded  with  coral  beads.  Presently 
all  his  audience  humbly  prostrated  themselves,  crying, 
"  Reverence,  reverence."  Crowther,  however,  pre- 
ferred to  remain  standing  on  his  feet  and  dignity, 
and  then  the  King,  after  narrowly  observing  his 
visitor,  his  hand  shading  his  eyes,  said  with  cordiality  : 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  115 

"  Crowther,  friend,  long  known  by  mutual  under- 
standing only,  here  at  last  we  see  each  other."  He 
then  politely  spread  a  handkerchief  for  Crowther  to 
sit  on  by  his  side,  drew  attention  to  his  old  sUppers 
with  graceful  remembrance,  saying  :  "  This  is  your 
doing.  I  have  heard  of  you  for  a  long  time,  and  had 
almost  despaired  of  seeing  you." 

After  a  long  talk  about  nothing  particular,  Crowther 
held  his  Bible  in  his  hand  and  showed  it  to  the  in- 
quisitive King,  telling  him  that  this  was  the  book 
which  God  had  sent  down  from  heaven  to  mankind 
to  teach  us  His  mind  and  will,  that  this  book  had  been 
received  by  hundreds  of  heathen,  who  are  now  walking 
according  to  its  instruction  and  doctrine.  Also  how 
God  had  been  pleased  to  send  this  book  to  this  country, 
to  him  and  his  people,  that  he,  Crowther,  was  a 
preacher  of  that  word,  and  as  he  had  now  come  on 
a  visit,  he  proposed  its  reception  by  both  King  and 
people.  The  King  was  evidently  really  touched,  and 
repHed  with  quiet  dignity  :  "  Hitherto  I  have  had 
no  helper  ;  now  I  have  found  one,  I  will  hold  it  fast." 

The  next  day  being  Sunday,  Crowther  read  a  few 
prayers  and  the  Litany,  and  preached  in  the  morning 
from  St.  Paul's  sermon  at  Athens,  and  in  the  evening 
on  the  parable  of  the  Prodigal  Son.  Next  day  the 
gratified  monarch  told  him  to  walk  round  the  town 
and  select  a  spot  for  building  mission  premises.  In 
exchange  for  these  courtesies  Crowther  presented  him 
with  a  beautiful  silk  patchwork  quilt,  made  by  a  lady 
in  England,  and  two  silk  and  velvet  caps  decorated 
with  feathers  and  flowers.     The  King  of   Ketu  was 


ii6  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

simply  captivated.  For  a  time  he  could  find  no  words, 
and  when  Crowther  put  on  the  quilt  and  exhibited 
its  rainbow  tints  in  the  sunshine,  his  Majesty  clapped 
his  hands  with  delight : 

"  Ketu  is  entirely  left  open  to  you  ;  do  whatsoever 
you  like  in  it,  and  bring  whomever  you  think  proper. 
We  will  receive  them  with  both  hands." 

On  leaving  the  town  a  number  of  natives  came  to 
Crowther  and  begged  for  more  words  about  the 
subject  of  his  preaching.  He  inquired  what  religion 
they  professed  in  their  country,  and  they  said  : 
"  Heathenism  and  Mohammedanism,  mostly  heathen- 
ism." 

I  told  them  I  was  a  Christian.  I  showed  them  my  Bible, 
and  said  this  was  the  best  of  books,  which  God  would  have 
every  nation  to  receive  and  hold.  I  asked  whether  the  wor- 
shippers of  thunder  and  lightning  ever  grumble  with  the 
worshippers  of  the  god  of  palm  nuts,  whether  the  worshippers 
of  their  numberless  gods  do  not  live  in  peace  with  each  other, 
though  they  worship  different  deities.  They  said  :  "  Certainly 
they  do  not  trouble  each  other,  but  each  one  worships  what 
he  thinks  good  for  him." 

I  then  told  them  that  when  Christianity  should  be  intro- 
duced into  their  country  the  same  tolerance  ought  to  be 
observed  as  in  other  countries. 

On  his  return  he  found  that  for  the  present  his  work 
at  Abeokuta  was  to  be  suspended,  and  he  must  take 
to  exploring  again. 

Another  expedition  up  the  Niger  had  been  arranged, 
thanks  to  the  public  spirit  and  enterprise  of  Mr. 
Macgregor  Laird,  who  had  been  long  identified  with 
the  commercial  developments  of  Western  Africa. 
It  was  proposed  to  send  a  single  vessel  up  the  river 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  117 

Nun  and  the  Niger  to  the  Confluence,  and  then  ex- 
plore the  Tshadda  as  far  as  possible.  Dr.  J.  Baikie 
was  invited  to  accompany  it  for  the  purpose  of  making 
fresh  observations  and  notes  of  geographical  value. 
Mr.  Laird  made  an  offer  to  the  Church  Missionary- 
Society  of  a  free  passage  for  Crowther,  which  was 
gladly  accepted.  This  voyage  was,  unlike  the  previous 
one,  a  complete  success  ;  the  explorers  were  able 
to  penetrate  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  beyond 
the  limit  of  any  other  explorations,  and  it  was  con- 
spicuously fortunate  in  preserving  a  clean  bill  of 
health,  returning  without  the  loss  of  a  single  man. 
Of  this  very  interesting  journey  Crowther  kept  again 
an  admirable  journal ;  his  habit  of  indefatigable 
industry  and  careful  observation  of  every  important 
detail  makes  such  a  record  bright  and  instructive 
reading.  On  this  expedition  he  brought  to  bear 
the  advantage  of  his  later  study  and  training.  He  had 
developed  very  much  during  these  last  ten  years, 
and  his  visits  to  England  had  enriched  his  mind. 
These  words  of  his  are  valuable  in  themselves  as 
conveying  information  about  the  country  and  people 
which  at  that  time  was  specially  useful,  but  they 
have  also  a  peculiar  interest  as  revealing  very  much 
the  practical  turn  of  the  writer's  impression  of  things. 
They  are  absolutely  devoid  of  that  introspective 
faculty  which  is  so  common  to  many  diarists;  these 
deal  with  facts  alone,  describing  in  clear,  vivid  language 
incidents;  we  seem  to  see  it  all  through  Crowther's 
eyes,  rather  than  being  permitted  to  look  down  into 
Crowther's  heart.     And  beneath  and  behind  all  these 


ii8  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

notes  of  things  seen  and  heard,  there  is  the  true 
missionary  spirit,  watching  for  every  opportunity 
of  bringing  the  Gospel  to  these  far  and  isolated  regions 
where  heathenism  reigns  supreme.  It  is  easy  to 
imagine  the  "  good-byes  "  at  the  gates  of  Abeokuta, 
the  journey  down  to  Lagos,  in  which  he  tells  us, 
with  his  practical  instinct  : 

I  took  about  seven  hundredweight  of  clean  cotton  down 
with  me  to  be  shipped  to  Manchester. 

Reaching  Fernando  Po  he  waited  for  the  arrival 
of  the  Pleiad,  the  exploring  vessel,  and  while  staying 
on  shore  he  makes  a  reference  to  one  who,  as  British 
Consul  and  as  an  intrepid  explorer,  had  been  of  great 
service  to  West  Africa. 

The  people  were  very  glad  to  see  me,  and  expressed  their 
regret  for  the  loss  of  Mr.  Beecroft,  for  he  had  made  full  pre- 
paration for  the  expedition  and  had  engaged  many  intelligent 
natives  who  had  been  used  to  go  up  the  Niger  with  him,  and 
who  were  ready  to  go  anywhere  with  him,  they  being  mutually 
attached  to  each  other,  for  he  treated  them  as  a  father.  It 
will  be  a  long  time  before  his  place  can  be  supplied  by  another 
who  will  take  the  same  interest  in  the  country  and  her  people 
as  he  did. 

After  breakfast  visited  Mr.  Beecroft's  grave,  which  is  on 
the  point  of  the  cliff  of  Clarence  under  a  large  cotton  tree, 
where  he  himself  had  directed  he  should  be  buried.  Thus 
ended  the  life  of  this  useful  person,  after  twenty-five  years' 
stay  in  Africa,  during  which  period  he  had  won  the  affection 
of  many  who  knew  his  worth  in  the  countries  he  had  visited, 
and  could  not  but  greatly  regret  to  hear  of  his  removal  by 
death.  The  chiefs  of  Abeokuta  had  sent  salutations  and 
messages  to  him  by  me,  which  he  did  not  live  to  receive.  As 
long  as  this  generation  lasts  the  name  of  Mr.  Beecroft  will  not 
be  forgotten  in  this  part  of  Africa. 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  119 

The  voyage  began  with  a  few  mishaps,  a  breakdown 
in  the  machinery,  a  rather  awkward  crossing  of  the 
bar  outside  the  Nun  river,  and  a  mistake  in  choosing 
the  channel,  through  which  they  ran  ashore  on  Sunday 
Island.  Nobody  on  board,  however,  seems  to  have 
been  the  least  disconcerted  by  these  vicissitudes, 
and  we  found  Crowther  conducting  Divine  Service 
with  all  hands  on  deck,  preaching  from  the  text  : 
"  Then  said  they  unto  him.  Who  art  thou  ?  that  we 
may  give  an  answer  to  them  that  sent  us.  What 
say  est  thou  of  thyself  ?  "  A  number  of  canoes 
presently  came  alongside,  asking  significantly,  "  Are 
you  slave  ship  or  oil  ship  ?  "  to  which  they  were 
able  to  give  a  satisfactory  reply.  In  a  few  hours  they 
got  away,  and  Crowther,  watching  the  banks  of  the 
great  river,  began  to  make  notes  of  the  changes  which 
had  taken  place  since  his  last  visit.  There  was  little 
enough  trace  of  the  hand  of  civilization  then. 

Soon  after  we  had  cleared  Sunday  Island  traces  of  cultiva- 
tion began  to  appear,  together  with  land  about  three  feet 
above  the  water's  edge.  As  the  water  has  not  yet  risen  to  its 
full  height,  it  gave  an  entirely  new  appearance  to  the  river 
from  that  it  bore  in  August,  1841.  At  that  time  only  a  few 
spots  near  the  water's  edge  were  under  cultivation,  and  the 
whole  was  covered  with  water,  as  the  river  overflowed  its 
banks.  Not  only  old  plantations  showed  a  continual  industry 
of  the  people  of  the  Delta,  but  many  newly-cleared  spots  in 
the  midst  of  which  numerous  lofty  palm  trees  stood,  which 
were  carefully  preserved  for  their  rich  and  valuable  produce, 
showed  further  the  improved  state  of  the  banks.  About  three 
hours  from  Sunday  Island  we  came  to  inhabited  villages  ;  we 
induced  two  canoes  to  come  off,  from  whom  we  learnt  that 
the  people  between  Brass  and  Aboh  are  called  Uru.  One  of 
the  people  who  came  off,  and  who  spoke  the  Ibo  language,  was 
so  confident  that  he  offered  to  go  with  us  to  Aboh  ;   and  the 


120  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

people  on  shore  never  showed  the  least  sign  of  opposition, 
but  folded  their  arms  and  gazed  at  the  steamer  as  she  glided 
on. 

Fewer  traces  of  cultivation  were  observed  during  the 
day  till  we  came  to  the  village  of  Angiama.  Brass  people 
came  up  here  to  buy  palm  oil,  with  large  casks  in  their  canoes, 
some  of  which  they  land  as  they  proceed  upwards.  There  is 
another  striking  change  in  the  habits  of  the  people  them- 
selves. In  1 841  very  few  of  them  were  to  be  found  with  any 
decent  articles  of  clothing.  I  spied  to-day,  among  a  group  of 
about  forty  people,  fifteen  who  I  could  distinctly  see  had 
English  shirts  on.  This  is  an  evident  mark  of  the  advantage 
of  legal  trade  over  that  of  men.  The  chief  of  Angiama,  or 
Any  a,  came  off  and  expressed  his  regret  that  we  did  not  wait 
at  his  village  as  Captain  Trotter  did,  and  it  was  with  some 
difficulty  we  could  satisfy  him  by  our  excuses,  but  we  hoped 
to  be  able  to  stay  on  our  return.  Dr.  Baikie  gave  him  a  red 
cap  and  a  looking-glass  ;  but  I  could  read  in  the  countenance 
as  well  as  by  the  temper  one  of  his  men  manifested  that  if  they 
had  had  it  in  their  power  they  would  have  detained  us  in  Oru, 
to  reap  all  the  benefits  of  the  trade  to  themselves  instead  of 
allowing  it  to  pass  through  their  waters  to  the  people  of  the 
interior  beyond  them. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  voyage  Crowther 
made  the  suggestion,  to  which  reference  has  already 
been  made,  that  the  fuel  should  be  kept  in  atten- 
dant canoes,  and  not  in  the  ship's  hold,  which,  no 
doubt,  saved  the  expedition  from  fever. 

When  they  reached  Aboh  (formerly  written  as 
Ibo)  they  were  sorry  to  hear  that  the  old  King  Obi 
was  dead.  He  had  for  years  waited  for  the  English 
vessels  which  never  came,  and  now  a  weak  son  named 
Tshukiima  reigned  in  his  stead.  But  they  found  the 
Aje,  a  younger  and  more  energetic  man,  was  the  real 
governing  power.  He  was  absent  when  the  Pleiad 
cast  anchor,  but  we  have  a  striking  sketch  of  the 
weak  and  elder  brother  from  Crowther's  pen  : 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  121 

July  22.  Took  an  early  breakfast,  and  about  eight  a.m.  we 
started  for  the  town  of  Aboh,  which  lies  about  one  mile  in 
length  along  the  western  bank  of  the  creek,  very  thickly 
populated.  We  landed  close  to  Tshukuma  House,  which  is 
very  small  and  confined,  his  old  house  having  been  lately 
burnt.  He  had  been  worshipping  his  god  that  morning,  which 
we  saw  on  his  piazza  in  a  calabash  placed  in  front  of  the  wall, 
covered  with  a  white  sheet.  We  waited  about  ten  minutes 
before  Tshukuma  made  his  appearance,  dressed  in  a  pair  of 
thin  Turkish  trousers,  a  white  shirt,  a  white  waistcoat,  and  a 
string  of  coral  beads  about  his  neck  ;  he  is  smaller  in  size  and 
stature  than  Obi,  his  father,  is  very  soft  in  his  manners,  and 
seems  not  possessed  of  much  energy.  He  shook  us  all  heartily 
by  the  hand,  and  in  a  short  time  the  little  square  was  crowded 
to  excess,  so  that  there  was  no  room  to  move,  and  the  place 
became  so  thronged  that  it  was  difficult  to  keep  one's  seat 
on  the  mat  spread  for  our  accommodation.  Tshukuma  used 
all  his  efforts  to  command  silence,  but  to  no  purpose.  Obi's 
daughter  and  the  chief's  wives  took  their  turn  to  command 
silence,  but  it  only  increased  the  noise.  At  last  Tshukuma 
requested  us  to  frighten  the  people  away,  which,  of  course,  we 
did  not  do.  As  it  was  impossible  to  obtain  perfect  silence, 
I  suggested  to  Dr.  Baikie  to  begin  business,  as  we  could  manage 
to  keep  close  enough  to  hear  each  other. 

The  substance  of  Mr.  Baikie's  interview  with  the  chief  was 
that  the  Queen  had  desired  him  to  visit  them  and  see  how 
they  did,  that  we  were  sorry  to  hear  of  Obi's  death — we  hoped 
his  successor  would  be  of  the  same  mind  as  the  late  king — 
and  that  they  still  adhered  to  the  treaty  he  had  signed  with 
Captain  Trotter,  who  acted  in  the  name  of  the  Queen  ;  and 
that  trade  was  now  come  to  the  Aboh  country,  about  which 
Dr.  Hutchinson  would  speak  fully  with  him. 

Tshukuma  replied  that  he  was  very  glad  to  see  a  large  ship 
come  to  Aboh  again,  and  that  he  and  the  other  headmen  were 
particularly  charged  by  Obi  before  his  death  not  to  deviate 
from  the  path  he  had  trod  respecting  his  friendship  with  the 
white  men,  and  that  they  would  act  accordingly  ;  but  as  Aje 
was  absent  from  home  in  Igara  with  a  great  number  of  head- 
men, to  settle  some  matter  in  that  place,  he  expressed  a  wish 
that  we  should  wait  till  he  returned,  as  he  expected  them  in 
three  or  four  days'  time,  and  he  would  send  a  slave  to  hasten 
their  return.  ...  I  now  thought  it  time  to  introduce  the  sub- 
ject of  a  missionary  establishment  among  them.     I  told  him 


122  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

that  we  had  come  to  see  what  we  could  do  to  make  a  mission- 
ary station  at  Aboh,  as  we  had  done  in  my  country  at  Badagry, 
Lagos,  and  Abeokuta,  and  had  been  done  also  at  Calabar  and 
the  Camaroons. 

One  of  Obi's  daughters  replied  that  they  could  not  conceive 
why  white  men  should  build  houses  in  Bonny  and  Calabar, 
and  not  in  Aboh. 

I  told  them  our  superiors  had  been  thinking  of  it  a  long 
time,  but  now  they  were  in  earnest,  and  we  were  very  desirous 
of  sending  some  Ibo  teachers  to  Aboh,  to  reside  there  and 
teach  them  many  things  if  they  are  willing  to  learn.  Tshu- 
kuma  said  my  words  were  too  good  for  them  to  hope  that 
they  will  be  realized,  and  that  he  would  not  believe  anything 
until  he  had  seen  us  do  what  we  proposed  ;  that  there  was  no 
difi&culty  on  their  part,  nor  need  we  fear  any  unwillingness  to 
receive  those  who  may  be  sent  to  them  or  learn  what  they  may 
be  taught,  but  that  the  fault  rests  with  us  in  not  fulfilling 
what  we  had  promised  to  do. 

This  interview  shows  how  keen  these  people  were 
for  teaching,  and  how  disappointed  they  felt  because 
in  times  past  the  white  man  had  not  kept  his  word 
with  them.  In  this  case  a  little  irritation  existed 
in  consequence  of  tribal  jealousies  and  fightings 
among  themselves  ;  indeed  the  absence  of  the  younger 
and  more  energetic  brother  from  this  palaver  was  due 
to  settlement  of  a  quarrel.  But  the  tact  of  the  white 
man  did  excellent  service.  A  visit  on  board  the  ship 
by  the  chief,  his  wife,  the  head  wife  of  Aje,  and  three 
of  Obi's  daughters,  with  luncheon  in  the  saloon, 
had  a  wonderfully  soothing  effect,  and  after  Dr. 
Baikie  had  given  these  sable  dames  some  ghttering 
presents,  the  whole  party  returned  home  highly 
gratified.  The  day  following  Crowther  went  ashore 
to  pay  a  visit  to  the  chief,  to  get  an  opportunity  of 
talking  to  him  on  religious  subjects,  and  introducing 
such  Christian  doctrine  as  might  be  profitable. 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  123 

The  quickness  with  which  he  caught  my  explanation  of  the 
all-sufficient  sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  for  the 
sin  of  the  world  was  gratifying.  I  endeavoured  to  illustrate 
it  to  him  in  this  simple  way.  "  What  would  you  think  of  any 
persons  who  in  broad  daylight  like  this  should  light  their 
lamps  to  assist  the  brilliant  rays  of  the  sun  to  enable  them 
to  see  better  ?  "  He  said  :  "It  would  be  useless  ;  they  would 
be  fools  to  do  so."  I  replied  :  "  Just  so."  That  the  sacrifice 
of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  was  sufficient  to  take  away 
our  sins,  just  as  one  sun  is  sufficient  to  give  light  to  the  whole 
world  ;  that  the  worship  of  country  fashions  and  numerous 
sacrifices  which  shone  like  lamps,  only  on  account  of  the  dark- 
ness of  their  ignorance  and  superstition,  though  repeated  again 
and  again,  yet  cannot  take  away  our  sins  ;  but  that  the 
sacrifice  of  Jesus  Christ,  once  offered,  alone  can  take  away  the 
sin  of  the  world.  He  frequently  repeated  the  names  "  Oparra 
Tshuku  !     Oparra  Tshuku  !     Son  of  God  !    Son  of  God  !  " 

As  I  did  not  wish  to  tire  him  out  I  left  my  discourse  fresh 
in  his  mind.  The  attention  of  his  attendants,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few,  was  too  much  engaged  in  begging  and  receiving 
presents  to  listen  to  all  I  was  talking  about.  I  gave  to  Tshu- 
kuma  a  Yoruba  primer  in  which  I  wrote  his  name,  and  left 
some  with  Simon  Jonas  to  teach  the  children  or  any  who 
should  feel  disposed  to  learn  the  alphabet  and  words  of  two 
letters. 


They  were  now  approaching  the  Confluence,  and 
Crowther  records  in  his  journal  how  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Niger,  from  opposite  Adamugu,  there 
is  scarcely  a  village  to  be  seen,  while  on  the  left-hand 
bank  there  are  new  and  extensive  towns,  which  had 
no  existence  on  his  previous  visit  in  1841.  This  is 
accounted  for  by  the  warlike  raid  of  Dasaba,  who  had 
swept  down  with  his  warriors  to  avenge  the  death  of 
Mr.  Carr,  the  Atta  of  Mgara  having  urged  him  to 
punish  the  people  of  the  Delta  who  had,  without 
reason,  killed  a  white  man  coming  to  establish  trade 
with   the   upper   country.     About   a   hundred   towns 


124  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

and  villages  were  destroyed.  As  some  of  the  ex- 
ploring party  wished  to  make  sketches  and  observa- 
tions from  the  top  of  Momit  Patteh,  they  started 
from  the  ship  early  in  the  morning  of  5  August  in 
high  spirits,  and  full  of  expectations. 

Mr.  May  wished  to  sketch  from  that  elevation  of  about 
twelve  hundred  feet  the  juncture  of  the  Kowara  and  the 
Tshadda,  but  owing  to  the  desolated  state  of  the  country  the 
valley  was  so  overgrown  with  wood  and  high  grass  as  to  be 
impenetrable,  except  where  we  came  upon  the  track  of  ele- 
phants, now  the  undisturbed  possessors  of  these  once  thickly 
populated  districts.  As  we  could  not  go  on  because  of  the 
thick  grass  and  swamps,  we  returned  to  the  boat  and  pulled 
further  up  till  we  came  to  a  landing-place,  where  a  small 
canoe  was  seen  under  the  trees,  belonging  to  a  little  village 
of  eight  or  ten  huts,  a  scanty  remnant  of  the  once  secure 
villages  of  Mount  Patteh.  This  village  is  built  on  the  first 
cove,  about  a  third  part  of  the  way  up  Mount  Patteh,  where 
very  old  persons  only  were  living.  We  asked  them  the  way 
to  the  Mount,  but  they  told  us  there  was  no  way  thither  at 
this  time,  as  Dasaba  had  driven  or  carried  all  the  inhabitants 
away.  The  sight  of  these  villages  was  truly  pitiable.  They 
pointed  to  the  site  of  the  model  farm  below,  which  is  now 
covered  with  trees  and  grass,  and  asked  if  we  were  coming  to 
rebuild  it.  I  told  them  it  might  be  taken  up  again  in  due 
time.  They  entertained  us  according  to  their  means,  with 
country  beer  and  clear,  cool  water,  which  they  fetched  from 
the  side  of  Mount  Patteh.  We  promised  to  give  them  some 
presents  if  any  of  them  would  come  on  board,  and  then  we 
returned  to  the  ship  about  10  a.m. 

Ama-Abokko,  the  chief,  had  come  early  on  board,  and 
Captain  Taylor  had  been  talking  with  him  about  trading 
affairs  till  our  return.  Dr.  Baikie  called  him  into  the  saloon 
and  gave  him  some  presents  from  Government,  with  which 
he  was  much  pleased.  We  tried  to  get  him  to  forward  letters 
to  the  coast  for  us  by  way  of  Ilorin,  Ijaye,  Ibadan,  and  Abeo- 
kuta,  but  he  made  so  many  excuses  that  I  saw  he  was  evi- 
dently afraid  to  do  it,  though  he  did  not  like  to  say  so,  for  fear 
of  committing  himself,  because  people  might  accuse  him  of 
sending  a  bad  book  or  charm  through  Ilorin,  as  Dasaba,  their 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  125 

common  enemy,  has  taken  refuge  there,  and  lie  did  not 
sufficiently  know  us  or  our  footing  on  the  coast.  We  re- 
minded him  of  the  person  he  promised  to  send  with  us,  and 
told  him  also  that  we  would  pay  some  of  his  canoe  men  if  he 
would  let  us  have  some,  to  which  he  consented  and  raised  our 
expectation  as  to  his  readiness.  Ama-Abokko  styled  himself 
the  king  of  this  part  of  the  country,  and  I  tried  to  ascertain 
whether  he  was  independent  of  the  Atta,  but  could  receive 
no  satisfactory  reply  to  my  question.  I  dare  say  he  did  not 
like  to  tell  us.  That  we  might  see  more  of  the  town  and 
collect  information  we  went  after  lunch  to  Igbegbe,  each  one 
in  a  different  direction  except  that  Mr.  Richards  and  myself 
walked  together.  Ivory  was  shown  us,  as  well  as  trona  (salt 
packed  up  in  grass  bags  from  the  coast),  horses,  and  two 
slaves.  I  offered  to  purchase  one  of  the  owners  herself  instead 
of  the  slaves,  but  she  shuddered  a  little  at  the  idea.  I  left 
her  to  infer  from  that  the  propriety  of  dealing  in  our  fellow- 
men.  Some  slaves  were  in  a  canoe  alongside  the  ship  to-day. 
It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  many  slaves  are  to  be  seen 
about  at  this  time,  for  many  unfortunate  persons  who  have 
suffered  in  the  war  between  Dasaba  and  his  brother,  and  such 
as  have  fallen  a  prey  to  the  Filatas  at  the  destruction  of 
Panda,  are  now  scattered  about  the  country  in  all  directions 
by  their  captors.  Fortunately  they  must  remain  in  the 
country,  as  there  is  no  place  known  in  the  Bight  of  Biafra  for 
exportation  of  slaves,  the  only  foreign  slave  markets  being 
Whydah  and  Porto  Novo,  in  the  Bight  of  Benin. 

Sunday,  August  6.  Had  service  on  board  at  half-past  ten  ; 
preached  from  2  Timothy  i.  7  on  the  former  part  of  the  text, 
"  God  has  not  given  us  the  spirit  of  fear,"  and  applied  it  to 
individual  members  of  Christ's  Church  ;  but  I  preached  in 
much  weakness.  May  the  Spirit  of  God  carry  His  Word  home 
to  the  heart  and  conscience  of  those  who  heard  it ! 

As  regards  Mr.  Carr,  already  mentioned  as  having 
met  with  his  death  on  the  Niger,  Crowther  adds  a 
footnote  from  Mr.  Schon,  that  this  Enghshman  was 
one  of  the  expedition  of  1841,  and  having  been  in- 
valided at  Fernando  Po,  he  wished  to  return  to  the 
Confluence  on  his  recovery.  He  set  out  in  a  canoe  with 
some  natives,  but  was  never  heard  of  again,  and  the 


126  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

probability  is  that  he  was  murdered  for  the  sake  of 
plunder.  Some  articles  of  his  clothing  were  after- 
wards found,  and  for  a  time  suspicion  rested  upon  the 
old  chief  Obi.  Mr.  Carr  was  originally  intended  to 
superintend  the  model  farm  at  the  Confluence,  and 
while  he  remained  there  did  good  work. 

At  every  point  of  their  journey  up  the  Tshadda 
inquiries  were  made  of  the  natives  whether  they  had 
seen  a  white  man.  Dr.  Barth,  about  whom  some 
sinister  rumours  were  common  in  England  that  he 
had  lost  his  life  also.  The  quest  of  this  eminent 
traveller,  to  whose  valuable  works  on  West  Africa 
we  are  so  much  indebted,  was  one  of  the  reasons  for 
this  expedition  being  promoted.  At  one  time  hopes 
were  aroused  by  information  that  two  white  men 
were  not  far  off  in  a  town  called  Ksana,  four  days' 
journey  north.  Crowther  and  his  party  hurried 
forward,  and  met  with  a  native  of  the  place,  who 
said  that  the  white  men  had  been  there  a  month 
ago,  and  on  being  shown  the  portraits  in  the  frontis- 
piece of  Petermann's  Atlas  of  Central  Africa,  pointed 
to  that  of  Dr.  Barth  and  then  to  the  picture  of  Vogel 
as  his  companion.  This  messenger  was  dispatched 
in  hot  haste  with  a  letter  in  his  hand  to  Dr.  Barth, 
written  by  Dr.  Baikie,  and  the  greatest  excitement 
was  felt  in  expectation  of  his  reply.  This,  however, 
never  came.  Whether  the  man  was  misinformed, 
or  for  the  sake  of  possible  gifts  had  misled  the  in- 
quirers, never  transpired.  As  a  matter  of  fact.  Dr. 
Barth  was  at  this  time  at  a  considerable  distance  in 
the  interior,  and  happily  returned  to  Europe  some 
time  afterwards.     Some  characteristics  of  the  native 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  127 

mind  are  revealed  in  the  following  extract,  in  which 
Crowther  pictures  the  easygoing  life  on  tlie  Niger, 
the  fear  everywhere  of  being  attacked  either  by  gods 
or  men,  and  also  the  innate  love  of  those  presents 
which  count  for  so  much  in  transactions  with  Euro- 
peans. 

The  wants  of  the  people  are  so  few  that  they  are  content 
to  sit  down  the  whole  day  smoking  their  pipes,  instead  of 
going  to  cut  wood  to  sell,  although  they  are  very  desirous  of 
getting  many  things  by  begging. 

Sunday,  August  27.  Had  service  at  half-past  ten  as  usual, 
and  read  the  third  part  of  the  nineteenth  Homily  on  Prayer. 
Having  been  informed  that  the  people  were  running  away 
from  the  village  of  Ojogo,  we  went  on  shore  after  service  to 
ascertain  the  cause  and  quiet  their  fears.  During  two  pre- 
vious nights  Dr.  Baikie  and  Mr.  May  had  been  on  shore  to 
take  lunar  observations,  and  of  course  had  lights  with  them. 
The  bull's-eye  lamp  seems  to  have  made  them  afraid.  The 
chief  was  previously  apprehensive  of  something  when  he  saw 
Mr.  May  measuring  the  beach,  and  thought  that  he  did  this 
because  the  white  man  had  it  in  mind  to  take  his  country 
from  him.  When  we  got  on  shore  we  desired  an  interview 
with  him.  His  heart  was  throbbing  with  fear,  but  I  tried  to 
explain  to  him  how,  from  ignorance  of  the  depth  of  the  river, 
our  ship  was  grounded  very  near  his  village,  where  we  re- 
mained a  part  of  two  days  ;  that  Mr.  May's  measuring  the 
beach  was  to  ascertain  the  breadth  of  the  river  and  how  much 
it  has  risen  since  we  have  been  here  ;  that  their  looking  at 
the  moon  and  stars  in  the  night  was  to  ascertain  how  far  we 
were  from  our  own  country  ;  that  he  himself  must  have  taken 
notice  that  the  moon  does  not  remain  stationary,  but  rises 
higher  every  day,  so  by  looldng  at  either  the  moon  or  stars 
we  also  know  how  far  we  are  from  home  ;  that  God  has  com- 
manded us  to  do  good  to  all  men  and  never  to  do  evil,  for  if 
we  do  them  harm  God  will  not  be  pleased  with  us. 

With  this  explanation  both  he  and  his  people  appeared 
satisfied.  I  asked  him  if  there  were  anything  of  which  he 
wanted  further  explanation,  as  we  were  ready  to  give  it.  He 
replied  that  he  had  nothing  more  to  ask  but  for  some  red 
velvet,  a  stool,  and  a  basin. 


128  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

When  Crowther  arrived  at  Ijogo  he  found  the  people 
very  shy  of  coming  to  the  Pleiad  for  the  purpose  of 
trade.  This  he  beUeved  was  owing  to  the  false 
reports  which  had  reached  them,  and  also  because  the 
slaves  were  still  sold  in  the  neighbourhood.  In  the 
meantime  he  was  doing  his  best  to  acquire  a  know- 
ledge of  the  Doma  or  Arago  language,  although  the 
natives  whom  they  had  taken  on  board  at  the  last 
stopping-place  made  but  sorry  teachers.  He  speaks 
of  his  difficulties  in  this  respect  in  dealing  with  men 
who  refused  to  sit  still  for  long  together  or  give  any 
steady  attention  to  the  questions  put  to  them.  And 
yet  Crowther  had  to  manage  them  very  carefully, 
lest  they  should  lose  their  temper,  and  perhaps  give 
him  the  wrong  word  for  his  pains.  Some  men  from 
the  interior  came  down  to  the  shore,  among  them 
being  a  poor  fellow  named  Asaba,  from  Rogankoto, 
one  of  whose  legs  had  been  bitten  off  by  a  crocodile  ; 
but  the  wound  had  since  healed,  and  it  was  pitiable 
to  see  the  man  hobbling  about  with  the  aid  of  a  long 
stout  stick.  As  soon  as  the  two  doctors  on  board 
noticed  the  poor  feUow  they  set  about  to  find  some 
way  of  improving  his  locomotion,  and  with  the  assist- 
ance of  Mr.  Guthrie,  the  chief  engineer,  a  wooden  leg 
was  made.  At  the  prospect  of  such  kindness  the 
man  hobbled  back  to  his  town  to  tell  the  people  the 
marvellous  news  that  the  white  men  were  going  to 
give  him  a  new  foot.  A  large  crowd  returned  with 
him,  and  amid  their  wondering  plaudits  Mr.  Guthrie 
fixed  on  the  wooden  leg,  and  the  man  was  proud 
enough  of  his  new  limb,  as  might  be  imagined. 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  129 

When  they  had  pushed  on  to  Abitsi,  they  found  a 
safe  anchorage  nearly  opposite  Mount  Ethiope.  Here 
Crowther  made  careful  notes  of  the  geographical 
situation,  the  easy  navigation  in  consequence  of  the 
absence  of  those  islands  which  had  hitherto  been  such 
peril  to  them,  the  picturesque  scenery  and  high  banks, 
and  that  the  appearance  of  the  river-side  exceeded 
in  beauty  the  group  of  mountains  they  had  seen  be- 
tween Idda  and  the  Confluence  of  the  Tshadda  and 
Kowarra.  Here  the  high  hiUs  are  quite  close  to  the 
water's  edge ;  in  some  cases  when  the  river  rises  it 
runs  just  under  the  overhanging  mountains,  as  when 
it  makes  its  way  between  Mount  Herbert  on  the  right 
and  Mount  Adams  on  the  left.  Small  farms  and 
fishing  villages  are  seen  on  either  hand,  and  they 
passed  a  little  group  of  huts  where  the  people  were 
busy  making  pottery.  After  a  time,  making  headway 
against  a  very  strong  current,  they  reached  more  open 
country  ;  for  miles  not  a  creature  or  village  was  to 
be  discerned  on  the  flat  land.  At  last  they  reached 
a  fishing  hut,  but  no  one  was  in  it.  Suddenly  they 
met  a  fresh  tribe  of  natives,  whose  fear  and  hostility 
were  disarmed  by  the  confidence  the  visitors  showed. 
Crowther  tells  us  : 

At  four  o'clock  we  spied  a  group  of  houses  at  a  great  dis- 
tance before  us.  This  was  something  deUghtful,  and  about 
5  p.m.  we  anchored  off  the  villages  of  Gandiko,  whose  chief 
was  Ama,  and  Gaukera,  whose  chief  was  Garike.  Before  the 
ship  came  to  an  anchor,  intelligence  had  reached  the  chiefs 
of  the  villages,  and  all  hands  were  up  in  arms.  Their  weapons 
were  bows  and  arrows,  and  some  men  also  carried  three  or 
four  of  the  latter,  poisoned.  Our  boat  was  ready  for  us,  and 
we  pulled  toward  shore  in  search  of  the  landing-place.    There 

K 


130  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

were  some  plantations  of  maize  and  guinea  corn  along  the 
water's  edge,  and  some  of  the  farmers  were  near  ;  three 
women  stood  very  close  to  the  bank  with  seeming  confidence. 
We  addressed  them  in  Hausa,  to  which  they  replied,  and 
asked  them  for  the  landing-place,  but  they  gave  us  no  satis- 
factory reply.  A  little  way  higher  up  we  saw  a  man  on  the 
bank,  who  drove  the  women  away.  We  addressed  him  in 
Hausa,  and  he  replied.  We  told  him  we  were  from  the  white 
man's  country  and  wanted  to  see  the  chief.  As  soon  as  he 
saw  the  Europeans  he  cried  out  lustily  in  Hausa  :  "  Bature 
Anasara  maidukia  na  gode  allah  !  "  ("  White  men,  the  Naza- 
renes,  men  of  property,  I  thank  God  !  ")  many  times  over. 
He  took  the  lead  through  old  cultivated  grounds,  but  over- 
grown with  grass  and  bushes,  through  which  we  had  to  beat 
our  way  to  the  footpath  leading  to  the  town.  Our  leader, 
either  from  excitement  or  intoxication,  became  louder  and 
louder  in  his  cry  :  "  Bature  Anasara  maidukia  na  gode  allah  !  " 
We  soon  came  to  a  juncture  of  two  paths  and  where  the 
Galadima,  a  war  chief  of  the  first  rank,  with  a  small  party  of 
about  twenty -four  men.  armed  with  bows  and  arrows  and 
spears,  were  stationed,  and  our  leader,  with  his  boisterous 
cry,  introduced  us  to  them  as  men  of  peace  and  trade.  In  the 
meantime  we  were  lost  in  the  midst  of  the  soldiers  ;  Dr.  Baikie 
was  in  one  direction,  Dr.  Hutchinson  in  another,  and  Mr.  May 
in  the  midst  of  the  soldiers. 

We  had  not  a  single  weapon  about  us,  offensive  or  defen- 
sive, but  the  confidence  with  which  we  went  among  such  an 
armed  party  was  enough  to  prevent  their  doing  any  mischief. 
During  our  whole  progress  the  few  instances  where  hostility 
was  shown  arose  out  of  nothing  else  but  want  of  mutual 
understanding.  On  the  present  occasion,  as  soon  as  we  came 
together,  we  shook  hands  with  the  Galadima,  and  he  led  us 
to  the  town.  The  path  was  full  of  soldiers  coming  out  to  join 
the  Galadima,  but  seeing  him  return  with  us  they  all  fell  back 
on  both  sides  of  the  path  which  brought  us  to  the  entrance  to 
the  town.  The  place  was  fortified  with  a  wooden  fence  and 
a  ditch  around  it,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  town  and  under  a 
kind  of  fig  or  banian  tree,  planted  for  the  sake  of  its  shade, 
we  met  the  chief  Ama,  also  armed  with  a  bow  and  arrows,  as 
were  about  two  hundred  men  with  him.  We  were  introduced 
to  him  by  the  Galadima,  and  after  shaking  hands  conversed 
briefly  with  him  respecting  our  visit  to  the  country.  He 
appeared  quite  satisfied,  and  requested  us  to  return  to  the 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  131 

ship  and  wait  till  to-morrow  before'entering  into  particulars 
of  the  object  of  our  journey. 

After  this  experience  Crowther  makes  some  re- 
flections upon  the  common  report  of  the  hostihty  of 
the  natives  of  Africa  towards  Europeans.  He  points 
out  that  they  are  always  in  such  a  state  of  alarm  by 
reason  of  the  tribal  and  marauding  wars,  that  any 
stranger  coming  makes  them  fly  to  arms.  He  thinks 
that  European  explorers  often  overlook  the  fact 
that  the  natives  are  in  constant  fear  of  the  treachery 
of  their  enemies.  This  makes  them  carry  their 
weapons,  to  be  in  readiness  for  any  attack. 

Though  travellers  fear  nothing  themselves  (he  says)  yet 
they  should  endeavour  to  take  due  precautions  to  allay  the 
fears  of  those  whom  they  intend  to  visit,  by  previous  com- 
munication, which  will  soon  be  circulated  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  then  all  will  be  right.  A  prudent  man  will  not 
consider  an  hour  or  two  wasted  to  effect  this  purpose,  rather 
than  risk  the  painful  result  of  misunderstandings  which  may 
never  be  remedied.  As  far  as  I  know,  there  is  no  place  in 
Africa,  uncontaminated  with  European  slave  dealers,  which 
Europeans  have  visited  with  the  intention  of  doing  good, 
where  such  an  event  has  not  been  hailed  as  the  most  auspicious 
in  the  annals  of  the  country.  Every  chief  considers  himself 
highly  honoured  to  have  white  men  for  his  friends. 

This  good  advice,  from  one  so  eminently  fitted  to 
give  it,  will  never  be  out  of  date.  Their  visit  to 
Zhibu  brought  them  in  contact  with  a  wary  chief,  who 
so  little  understood  the  character  of  his  visitors  that 
he  called  the  interpreter  aside  to  tell  him  he  had  a  little 
boy  to  sell,  and  asked  him  to  buy  him.  He  was  soon 
undeceived,  and  eventually  brought  ivory  and  maize 
to  the  ship  for  trading.     Here  Crowther  noticed  that 


132  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

as  the  men  were  so  much  engaged  in  marauding 
expeditions,  the  infirm  male  and  female  slaves  tilled 
the  ground.  No  fruits  were  cultivated  or  eatables 
hawked  about  the  streets  by  girls  and  women,  or 
refreshment  places  arranged  for  the  sale  of  food ; 
in  short,  it  was  the  only  town  without  a  market  they 
had  met  with  on  their  journey.  One  night  while 
anchored  off  this  point  the  expedition  had  a  narrow 
escape.  They  had  some  sheep  as  weU  as  wood  in 
the  canoe  attached  to  the  ship,  and  while  Dr.  Baikie 
and  Mr.  May  were  standing  on  shore  with  their 
instruments,  taking  observations  of  a  star's  altitude, 
a  low  growl  was  heard,  and  a  leopard,  no  doubt 
attracted  by  the  smell  of  the  sheep,  made  its  appear- 
ance. Some  fowling  pieces  were  fired  off,  and  this 
unusual  sound  no  doubt  frightened  the  creature 
away  ;  but  it  was  perilously  near  the  two  scientific 
observers. 

Their  need  of  constant  replenishing  of  their  fuel 
was  a  great  inconvenience,  and  sometimes  without 
steam  they  were  helpless  to  proceed  or  even  keep 
their  position  without  careful  anchorage.  At  one 
point  the  current  was  running  three  knots  an  hour 
against  them  ;  at  another  time  they  were  involved 
in  a  submerged  herd  of  hippopotami ;  again  they 
found  themselves  in  a  gorge  where  the  Tshadda 
became  extremely  narrow,  the  depth  not  less  than 
five  fathoms,  and  the  whole  volume  of  the  Binue 
having  to  rush  through.  Here  they  had  to  set  up 
two  sails  to  help  them,  and  soon  afterwards  reaching 
the  broad  bed  of  the  river,  they  found  nothing  but 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  133 

green  and  useless  wood  growing  in  the  soft  and  swampy 
marshes. 

As  there  was  no  alternative,  a  look-out  was  kept  to  capture 
the  trees  floating  down  the  stream,  and  two  were  secured 
before  breakfast,  the  chase  affording  us  no  little  amusement. 
About  ten  another  was  chased  and  captured,  so  large  that  it 
pulled  the  boat  a  considerable  way  down  the  river,  but  it  was 
secured  and  greatly  added  to  our  little  stock  to  enable  us  to 
get  to  Tshomo.  In  the  meantime  Imoru,  the  mallam  of  Zhiru, 
came  on  board  with  the  leg  of  a  buffalo  killed  last  night  for 
a  present  to  Dr.  Baikie.  The  doctor  would  have  bought  the 
head,  but  the  superstition  of  the  people  was  so  strong  against 
selling  it  that  they  begged  him  not  to  be  vexed  at  their  deny- 
ing him  that  request ;  nor  could  they  be  persuaded  to  sell 
the  skulls  of  hippopotami  which  were  piled  up  before  the 
fetish  in  the  town  of  Zhiru,  I  asked  the  mallam  whether  the 
people  are  willing  to  embrace  Mohammedanism.  He  said  they 
were  not.  Imoru  very  earnestly  told  Alihebi  to  ask  me  if  I 
would  pray  for  his  wives,  as  they  had  no  children.  I  at  once 
called  for  my  Bible  and  read  Psalm  cxxvii.,  which  I  tried  to 
explain  to  him,  and  showed  him  my  arms  and  neck  to  prove 
that  we  never  used  charms  for  any  purpose,  telling  him  that 
we  resign  all  our  affairs  to  the  hand  of  God,  who  knows  better 
what  is  good  for  us.  He  was  quite  satisfied  with  my  explana- 
tion, though  he  felt  disappointed  of  his  hopes. 

Crowther  had  a  great  desire  to  visit  Mohumma, 
the  King  of  Hamaruwa,  to  whom  indeed  he  had 
already  sent  a  message  saying  that  he  was  coming. 
This  man  was  of  some  influence,  and  held  a  sort  of 
independent  position  under  the  Sultan  of  Sokoto. 
One  evening  from  the  masthead  of  the  Pleiad  they 
could  see  this  town  at  the  foot  of  the  chain  of  the 
Muri  Mountains,  and  when  they  arrived  at  Little 
Isumo  they  met  with  a  native  trader  named  Ibrahim, 
who  became  very  friendly.  This  man  promised  to  be 
their  guide.     They  landed  at  Tshomo,  where  the  people 


134  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

were,  in  the  opinion  of  Crowther,  the  most  degraded  he 
had  met  with  since  leaving  the  Bubis  of  the  island  of 
Fernando  Po.  Destitute  of  clothing  and  very  dirty, 
the  men  getting  a  livelihood  by  killing  hippopotami, 
the  women  carrying  their  children  on  their  backs 
with  the  hands  of  the  infants  under  their  arms,  by 
which  they  were  held  fast,  Ibrahim  explained  that 
it  was  not  their  fashion  to  wear  clothes.  Crowther, 
of  course,  made  inquiry  for  their  chief,  and  was 
referred  to  an  old  grey-bearded  man,  standing  under 
a  tree  by  the  water-side,  with  a  dirty  cloth  about  his 
waist.  This,  they  told  him,  was  the  Sariki  of  Tshomo. 
In  some  cases  they  found  a  difficulty  with  their 
Krumen,  who  did  not  relish  the  hardships  and  risks 
of  the  expedition.  Crowther  gives  us  an  instance  of 
this  in  relating  his  experiences  on  his  way  to  Hamaruwa, 
when  he  was  undoubtedly  led  astray  by  his  guide; 
not  Ibrahim,  but  an  improvised  leader  who  did  not 
certainly  inspire  much  confidence.  A  word  picture 
of  travellers'  troubles  ! 

The  creek  which  divides  Tshomo  had  not  enough  water  for 
our  boat,  so  we  had  to  pull  through  the  flooded  cornfields  to 
get  into  the  main  creek  ;  but  as  the  whole  was  overgrown 
with  grass  and  corn-stocks  Ibrahim  was  obhged  to  get  one  of 
the  canoe-men  to  take  the  lead.  Our  Krumen  did  not  like 
either  the  appearance  of  our  guide  or  the  passage  he  was 
leading  us  through.  As  a  fisher  and  hunter  of  hippopotami 
he  had  with  him  five  or  six  harpoons  or  spears,  and  pulled 
through  the  grass  with  his  narrow  canoe  like  a  snake,  while 
the  grass  was  so  tliick  that  we  could  not  see  him  ahead  of  us 
nor  perceive  the  track  of  his  canoe.  However,  we  followed  in 
his  direction  till  we  met  him  under  a  tree,  where  he  waited  for 
us.  We  had  here  to  stoop  beneath  the  low  branches,  but  a 
short  distance  brought  us  to  the  main  creek.    The  bank  being 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  135 

only  partially  covered  with  water,  the  men  jumped  out  and 
carried  the  boat  across,  and  our  pilot  then  left  us  to  ourselves. 
I  called  the  attention  of  Friday,  the  head  Kruman,  to  mark 
the  direction  of  the  tree  that  they  might  not  miss  the  way  on 
their  return  ;  but  Captain  Friday  and  his  crew  did  not  seem 
to  relish  the  idea  of  returning  alone  among  these  rude  and 
apparently  ferocious  people.  We  followed  the  creek,  thinking 
we  should  soon  come  to  the  landing-place,  but,  contrary  to 
our  expectation,  we  did  not  land  till  one  o'clock  p.m.,  four 
hours  after  leaving  the  ship,  our  progress  having  been  down 
with  the  stream  since  we  came  into  the  creek,  which  runs 
parallel  with  the  river.  From  all  the  inquiries  we  had  made 
Hamaruwa  did  not  appear  to  be  more  than  six  or  seven  miles 
from  the  river,  and,  considering  the  distance  we  had  made 
down  the  creek,  I  thought  we  must  have  been  at  least  three 
or  four  miles  nearer  than  if  we  had  landed  immediately  on 
the  bank  of  the  main  river.  It  seemed  to  me  that  if  the 
Krumen  had  to  return  with  the  boat  against  the  stream  in 
the  circuitous  creek  they  would  not  get  to  the  ship  before 
dark  ;  and  under  the  impression  that  an  hour  or  an  hour  and 
a  half  would  bring  us  to  Hamaruwa,  and  we  might  be  back 
by  five  and  return  to  the  ship  together,  especially  as  there  was 
no  other  conveyance  for  us  except  the  miserable  patched 
canoes,  used  to  fetch  corn  from  the  plantations,  I  ordered  the 
boat  to  be  pulled  up,  and,  leaving  it  and  all  belonging  to  it 
to  the  care  of  the  headman  of  the  village  of  Wuza,  we  started 
for  Hamaruwa.  An  hour's  walk  brought  us  within  sight  of 
the  first  farm  village,  which  I  at  first  took  to  be  the  capital 
or  its  suburbs,  but  I  was  mistaken,  and  was  told  the  town 
was  yet  before  us.  Another  hour  brought  us  to  a  second  farm 
village,  and  our  way  led  almost  direct  west  towards  the  fur- 
thest mountains  we  had  left  westwards.  By  the  time  we  had 
travelled  three  hours  the  Krumen,  who  were  as  much  deceived 
as  ourselves,  became  very  much  dissatisfied  and  expressed 
regret  that  they  had  not  returned  to  the  ship  instead  of  going 
such  an  unpleasant  journey  in  which  they  had  no  interest. 
Truly  it  was  unpleasant,  inasmuch  as  we  were  deceived  as 
regards  distance,  and  the  road  was  by  no  means  enviable  to 
walk  in.  We  had  not  left  Wuza  half  an  hour  before  I  was 
obliged  to  take  off  my  shoes  and  roll  up  the  legs  of  my  trousers, 
as  did  Mr.  Richards,  to  wade  through  the  continual  splash  of 
water  and  mud  we  met  with  more  than  one  third  of  the 
way. 


136  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

They  reached  it  in  due  time,  and  Crowther  gives 
us  a  fine  description  of  the  town  and  its  people.  It 
was  beautifully  situated  on  a  hill,  from  which  a  grand 
view  of  the  river  and  scenery  around  is  obtained, 
the  stretches  of  light  green  grass  by  the  water's  edge, 
then  the  darker  green  of  the  tree  foHage,  and  beyond 
the  blue  ranges  of  Fumbina,  with  the  lofty  Man- 
dranu  mountain  in  Adamawa,  and  the  Muri  mountain 
in  Hamaruwa  near  at  hand.  The  houses  with  their 
conical  roofs  and  long  pubhc  street,  with  luxuriant 
trees,  are  characteristic  of  most  African  towns.  If 
it  had  been  laid  out  with  any  European  direction, 
it  would  have  been  a  delightful  place,  for  it  is  built 
on  a  rock,  and  rapidly  dries  after  heavy  rains.  The 
people  were  poor  and  ill  clothed  ;  very  few  goats  or 
sheep  were  seen,  and  the  slaves  do  all  the  cultivation 
of  the  corn  in  the  lowlands.  The  travellers  received 
a  hearty  welcome  from  the  King,  and  were  liberally 
supphed  with  food,  as  the  following  note  will  indicate 
from  Crowther's  pen  : 

The  King  sent  five  sheep  and  lambs  with  a  kid,  six  in  all, 
and  a  large  pot  of  plum  honey  for  our  entertainment,  but 
unfortunately  before  the  honey  was  delivered  the  pot  broke 
and  the  whole  was  spilled  on  the  ground,  to  the  great  grief  of  all 
present.  Ibrahim  came  with  much  sorrow  to  tell  me  of  this 
great  misfortune,  and  I  must  say  I  felt  the  loss  myself,  be- 
cause it  would  have  been  a  very  acceptable  present  to  all  the 
ship's  company,  considering  that  since  the  fourth  instant  we 
had  been  out  of  sugar.  Butter  and  milk  had  been  all  con- 
sumed long  before,  and  a  pot  of  honey  would  have  been  an 
invaluable  substitute.  But  travellers  must  take  things  as 
they  come,  and  be  content  with  such  things  as  they  have. 

The  Filanis  use  no  lamps  in  their  houses  in  the  evening  ; 
we  had  therefore  to  remain  outside  the  house  where  we  were 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  137 

lodged,  seated  in  the  dark,  as  they  themselves  did,  till  bed- 
time, when  a  few  sticks  were  kindled,  which  gave  out  much 
smoke  and  little  light,  to  enable  us  to  ascertain  the  position 
of  our  bed,  which  was  rough  enough.  Before  we  turned  in 
Ibrahim  requested  me  to  take  care  of  my  sheep  and  goat  in 
our  room  for  fear  of  the  wolves,  with  which  the  country 
abounds.  I  told  him  it  was  impossible  to  admit  five  sheep  and 
a  goat  into  a  room  already  filled  with  eleven  occupants,  and 
he  promised  to  take  care  of  them  until  the  morning.  Ibrahim's 
yard  was  full  of  visitors  going  and  coming,  to  whom  he  was 
relating  the  wonderful  news  of  the  Anasara's  ship  made  of 
iron  and  moved  by  fire.  Being  tired  with  our  journey,  we  left 
them  to  enjoy  the  story,  and  rested  ourselves  after  we  had 
offered  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving  to  God  for  our  protection. 

After  some  disagreeable  experiences  on  the  journey 
home,  which  Crowther  seems  to  have  taken  in  a 
happy  and  philosophic  spirit,  they  got  back  to  the 
ship.  They  arrived  on  a  Sunday  morning,  and  Crow- 
ther preached  from  the  not  inappropriate  subject  of 
"  the  fall  and  misery  of  man." 

The  river  was  now  sinking  rapidly,  and  it  was 
felt  that  the  prow  of  the  Pleiad  should  be  turned 
homeward,  if  a  safe  return  was  to  be  counted  on. 
Dr.  Baikie  and  Mr.  May  took  a  boat  to  go  three  days 
further  up  the  river  to  make  additional  observations. 
Crowther  confesses  to  a  good  deal  of  fear  and  heart- 
searching  at  leaving  these  two  in  such  dangers,  among 
an  unknown  and  perhaps  hostile  people.  The  Pleiad 
shot  down  the  stream  like  a  home-coming  horse,  but 
next  day  ran  aground,  and  was  detained  until  loud 
cheers  announced  the  return  of  the  boat,  with  its 
two  occupants  whom  they  had  left  behind. 

Of  this  return  journey  Crowther  makes  many 
interesting  notes,   and   revisiting   the   various  chiefs, 


138  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

was  able  to  make  arrangements  for  opening  mission 
stations  at  several  points.  At  Oboh,  for  instance, 
he  tells  us  how  he  fixed  upon  a  spot  of  land  at  the 
entrance  to  the  creek  on  the  bank  of  the  main  river 
for  the  establishment  of  mission  work,  and  got  the 
chief  Aje  to  faithfully  promise  that  no  one  should 
interfere  with  this  claim.  A  httle  lower  down  the 
stream  he  met  with  a  young  chief,  Agbekun,  who, 
being  childless,  had  been  paying  a  visit  to  Ae6,  where 
Tshuku,  the  great  god  of  the  Ibos,  resides,  to  make 
inquiries  of  a  domestic  character.  He  went  through 
many  ceremonies,  and  performed  many  sacrifices, 
and  subsequently  returned  home  with  a  favourable 
answer  communicated  to  him  through  the  priests. 
He  also  brought  with  him  several  small  representations 
of  the  god.  When  he  showed  these  to  Crowther  he 
wanted  to  know  what  the  Anasara  thought  of  his 
Tshuku. 

This  gave  me  the  opportunity  (the  journal  records)  of 
speaking  to  him  about  the  true  God,  to  whom  I  endeavoured 
to  turn  his  attention  to  look  for  blessings  both  temporal  and 
spiritual.  He  wanted  to  know  how  to  pray  to  the  Great  God, 
whom  he  knew  to  be  greater  than  Tshuku.  I  told  him  to  do 
so  just  as  a  little  child  would  ask  his  father  for  what  he  was 
in  need  of.  Agbekun  was  very  shy  in  speaking  much  about 
the  Tshuku  of  the  Ibos,  as  a  great  mystery  is  connected  even 
with  the  place  of  his  residence.  Since  this  young  chief's  return 
he  has  been  going  through  some  ceremonies,  and  cannot  be 
seen  or  spoken  to  much  in  public  till  the  time  allotted  to  them 
has  expired,  which  will  be  in  about  two  days.  In  consequence 
of  this  he  did  not  attend  market,  but  he  was  told  that  as  we 
were  from  the  white  man's  country  his  ceremony  could  not 
be  spoiled  by  his  conversation  with  us.  He  repUed  :  "  There 
is  no  hatred  in  white  man's  country  as  in  black  man's  coun- 
try."    I  told  him  to  look  at  me,  a  Yoruba  by  birth,  Simon 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  139 

Jonas,  an  Ibo,  and  Dr.  Baikie,  an  Englishman  ;  though  of 
different  nations,  we  Uve  together  as  brethren,  and  so  our  God 
teaches  all  men  to  love  one  another.  I  expressed  my  hope 
that  we  should  soon  be  able  to  teach  them  this  love,  which 
he  was  glad  to  hear. 

On  6  November  the  Pleiad  crossed  the  bar,  and 

Crowther  held  Divine  Service,  expressing  the  devout 

thanks  to  God  of  all  those  on  board  for  such  a  good 

and  favourable  journey,  and  preached  from  Joshua  iv. 

6,  7.     He  closes  his  journal  with  this  note  of  praise  : 

May  this  singular  instance  of  God's  favour  and  protection 
drive  us  nearer  to  the  Throne  of  Grace,  to  humble  ourselves 
before  our  God,  whose  instruments  we  are,  and  who  can  con- 
tinue or  dispense  with  our  services  as  it  seems  good  to  His 
unerring  wisdom. 

In  reviewing  the  results  of  this  expedition  Crowther 
draws  attention  to  several  points,  which  are  very 
encouraging.  One  is  the  remarkable  absence  of 
sickness  as  regards  Europeans,  and  that  not  a  single 
life  has  been  lost  on  the  voyage.  This,  in  contrast 
with  that  of  1841,  was  satisfactory.  He  was  con- 
vinced that  the  time  was  come  for  the  introduction 
of  Christianity  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger,  for  the 
people  were  evidently  willing  to  receive  teachers, 
and  he  greatly  regretted  the  loss  of  time  since  the 
ill-fated  expedition  of  1841  had  discouraged  any 
ascent  of  the  river  for  twelve  years.  He  laid  great 
stress  on  the  importance  of  utilizing  native  agency. 
Let  such  workers  go  back  to  their  own  countrymen 
as  a  renewed  people,  superior  now  to  others,  and  whose 
walk  and  conversation  would  do  so  much  to  commend 
Christ  and  His  Gospel  in  these  regions.  The  con- 
verted African  was  a  special  value  in  his  testimony  : 


140  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

It  takes  great  effect  when,  returning,  liberated  Christians 
sit  down  with  their  heathen  countrymen  and  speak  with  con- 
tempt of  their  former  superstitious  practices,  of  whom, 
perhaps,  many  now  alive  would  bear  testimony  as  to  their 
former  devotedness  to  their  superstitious  worship,  all  of  which 
he  can  now  tell  them  he  has  found  to  be  foolishness  and  the 
result  of  ignorance,  when  he  with  all  earnestness  invites  them, 
as  Moses  did  Hobab,  "  Come  with  us,  for  the  Lord  hath  pro- 
mised good  to  Israel,"  and  all  this  in  their  own  language,  with 
refined  Christian  feelings  and  sympathy,  not  to  be  expressed 
in  words,  but  evidenced  by  an  exemplary  Christian  life. 

From  the  standpoint  of  commerce  the  expedition 
undoubtedly  demonstrated  great  possibilities.  Crow- 
ther  took  much  personal  interest  in  the  encouragement 
of  cotton  growing,  and  the  subsequent  development 
of  trade  in  this  direction  was  largely  due  to  his  initiative 
and  persistency.  A  meeting  of  the  friends  of  Africa 
was  convened  shortly  after  the  return  of  the  Pleiad, 
and  it  was  resolved  to  urge  upon  the  Government 
the  importance  of  establishing  a  regular  service  of 
trading  steamers  between  Fernando  Po  and  the 
Confluence  of  the  Niger  and  Tshadda  rivers. 

Crowther  took  advantage  during  this  voyage  to 
ascertain  the  various  languages  of  the  tribes,  and  in 
a  valuable  appendix  to  his  journal  he  gives  their 
vocabularies  and  a  comparison  of  their  grammatical 
construction.  Dr.  Baikie,  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
voyage,  addressed  a  very  kind  letter  to  him,  in  which 
he  gives  the  following  well-deserved  commendation  : 

After  having  been  together  for  upwards  of  four  months, 
closely  engaged  in  exploring  Central  Africa,  I  cannot  allow 
you  to  depart  without  expressing  to  you  in  the  warmest 
manner  the  pleasure  I  derived  from  your  company  and  ac- 
knowledging the  information  I  have  reaped  from  you.     Your 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  141 

long  and  intimate  acquaintance  with  native  tribes,  with  your 
general  knowledge  of  their  customs,  peculiarly  fit  you  for  a 
journey  such  as  we  have  now  returned  from,  and  I  cannot  but 
feel  that  your  advice  was  always  readily  granted  to  me,  nor 
had  I  ever  the  smallest  reason  to  repent  having  followed  it. 
It  is  nothing  more  than  a  simple  fact  that  no  slight  portion 
of  the  success  we  met  with  in  our  intercourse  with  the  tribes 
is  due  to  you. 

Once  more  the  people  of  England  began  to  turn 
their  eyes  from  the  strain  of  worry  and  weeping 
over  the  Crimean  War  to  the  West  Coast  of  Africa 
and  to  the  Niger,  that  noble  river  which  may  be 
called  the  Nile  of  the  West.  The  last  expedition 
had  been  a  very  successful  one,  and  all  felt,  whether 
they  regarded  the  question  from  a  commercial  or 
missionary  standpoint,  that  this  great  waterway 
was  the  gate  to  the  heart  of  Africa,  and  wonderful 
possibilities  had  been  revealed.  Crowther  had  always 
a  practical  mind,  and  served  efficiently  the  State  as 
well  as  the  Church  in  his  travels.  He  saw  a  future 
trade  in  palm  oil,  an  almost  unlimited  reserve  hardly 
touched  yet  by  European  requirements,  and  he  fore- 
saw that  this  trade  would  in  time  eliminate  the  slave 
traffic,  with  its  accursed  train  of  evils. 

"  The  advantage  of  the  increase  of  palm  oil  trade," 
he  writes,  "  over  that  of  the  slave  is  so  much  felt  by 
the  people  at  large  that  their  head  chiefs  could  not 
help  confessing  to  me  that  they — aged  persons — 
never  remembered  any  time  of  the  slave  trade  in 
which  so  much  wealth  was  brought  into  their  country 
as  has  been  since  the  commencement  of  the  palm  oil 
trade,  the  last  four  years;  that  they  were  perfectly 


142  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

satisfied  with  legitimate  trade  and  with  the  proceedings 
of  the  British  Government." 

He  saw  also  that  there  was  a  large  store  of  ivory 
waiting  the  touch  of  commerce,  and  that  cotton, 
as  proved  by  his  experiments  at  Abeokuta,  might 
be  cultivated  to  a  very  considerable  extent,  and, 
adopting  the  prophet's  mantle,  he  anticipated  no  reason 
why  the  present  export  of  two  millions  from  West 
Africa  "  might  not  quadruple  itself  in  the  next  twenty 
years,  if  it  be  only  protected  until  it  has  struck  its 
roots  a  little  deeper  in  the  soil  of  Africa."  He  pointed 
out  that  up  to  the  present  he  had  touched  the  coast 
only,  and  if  by  pushing  up  the  Niger  he  might  strike 
those  great  caravan  routes  of  the  interior,  a  new  world 
for  investment,  both  in  a  business  and  a  spiritual 
sense,  would  be  opened  up.  Crowther  recommended 
a  visit  being  paid  to  Kano,  that  rich  province  with 
its  large  and  prosperous  town  to  which  Dr.  Barth  had 
already  drawn  attention  in  his  travels.  This  was 
the  seat  of  a  most  valuable  cotton  cloth  industry. 
These  reports,  of  course,  gave  hope  at  home,  and  the 
Government  of  the  day  were  not  slow  to  confer  with 
Mr.  Macgregor,  the  enterprising  African  merchant, 
as  to  what  should  be  done.  But  an  impulse  of  deeper 
import  was  given  to  the  minds  of  those  whose  higher 
aim  was  to  bring  the  light  of  the  Gospel  to  Africa. 
The  Church  Missionary  Society  conferred  with  Mr. 
Laird,  who  again  offered  Crowther  a  free  passage 
up  the  Niger,  thankfully  accepting  the  opportunity 
thus  given  of  establishing  a  Niger  Mission,  where  the 
services  of  converted  Africans  from  Sierra  Leone  and 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  143 

elsewhere  might  find  a  useful  sphere.  They  ex- 
pressed their  intentions  in  a  letter  to  Crowther, 
which  filled  him  with  joy,  and  he  replied  thankfully 
accepting  the  position,  and  giving  many  valuable 
suggestions  in  the  matter.  He  freely  discussed  the 
commercial  side,  and  says  that  "the  first  five  years 
the  contract  was  to  last  should  be  the  seedtime  for 
introducing  Christianity  and  civilization.  When  trade 
and  agriculture  engage  the  attention  of  the  people, 
with  the  gentle  and  peaceful  teaching  of  Christianity, 
the  minds  of  the  people  will  gradually  be  won  from 
war  and  marauding  expeditions  to  peaceful  trade  and 
commerce." 

Everything  seemed  favourable,  and  Crowther  had 
spent  some  time  in  conferring  with  his  old  friend 
of  bygone  days,  Bishop  Weeks,  and  the  valuable 
missionaries  Messrs.  Beale  and  Frey.  It  was  arranged 
that  a  number  of  native  teachers  should  be  sent  up 
the  Niger  from  Sierra  Leone.  While  Crowther  was 
away  on  his  journey  it  was  felt  that  while  he  was 
placing  these  European  missionaries  in  their  new 
spheres  of  work,  Bishop  Weeks,  of  Sierra  Leone,  at 
the  base  of  operations,  would  be  able  to  support  and 
advise.  But  once  more  this  African  cHmate,  with  its 
insatiable  toll  of  human  lives,  claimed  all  three  as 
its  latest  victims.  The  story  of  the  passing  of  these 
good  and  faithful  servants  is  indeed  very  pathetic. 

The  first  to  fall  was  Mr.  Beale,  a  man  full  of  faith 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  was  struck  with  fever 
while  at  his  post  of  duty  at  Lagos.  He  was  such  a 
brave  man,  and  when  he  found  his  strength  ebbing 


144  UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN 

away  towards  the  eternal  sea  he  summoned  all  his 
powers  to  bring  back  to  God  some  poor  Sierra  Leone 
emigrants,  who  had  fallen  away  sadly,  and  brought 
discredit  on  their  profession.  The  Bishop  reached 
the  harbour  of  Freetown  on  the  evening  of  14  March, 
and  his  chaplain  hurried  on  board  the  ship  Candace 
to  find  him  lying  utterly  prostrate  in  his  hammock, 
too  weak  to  move.  With  loving  care  they  carried 
him  ashore,  and  laid  him  in  his  own  quiet  bed.  Mr. 
Frey,  who  had  exerted  himself  to  bring  the  Bishop 
home,  then  fell  sick,  and  lay  in  another  room,  the 
two  grief-stricken  wives,  Mrs.  Weeks  and  Mrs.  Frey, 
quietly  ministering  wdth  hearts  full  of  foreboding. 
On  the  Sunday  afternoon  the  Bishop's  chaplain 
stepped  to  his  side,  and  with  a  sweet  smile  of  recog- 
nition the  sufferer  whispered  :  "  Mr.  Pocock,  if  there 
is  a  time  when  Christ  is  more  especially  precious, 
it  is  when  we  have  death  before  us.  I  am  very  weak. 
Pray  for  me."  At  three  in  the  morning  he  was  with 
him  again,  and  to  the  question  put  by  one  of  the  ladies, 
"  Do  you  find  Christ  precious  now  ? "  the  dying  Bishop 
spent  his  last  breath  in  slowly  spelling  out  the  word, 
"  P-r-e-c-i-o-u-s,"  and  fell  asleep  in  the  Divine  keeping. 
A  month  afterwards  his  colleague  in  labour  and  sick- 
ness, Mr.  Frey,  followed  him  ;  his  end,  too,  was  peace. 
Those  who  watched  him  during  those  last  days  speak 
of  the  calm  serenity  of  his  mind.  The  day  before 
his  call  came  he  took  the  Sacrament,  and  was  able 
to  say  farewell  to  his  weeping  wife  and  friends,  and 
shortly  afterwards  crossed  the  river  so  quietly  that 
none  quite  knew  the  moment  when  he  reached  the 


UP  THE  NIGER  AGAIN  145 

other  shore.  The  news  of  all  this  plunged  Crowther 
into  the  deepest  distress.  It  was  not  only  that  he 
grieved  over  the  loss  as  a  drawback  to  the  mission 
which  he  was  on  the  eve  of  founding,  but  he  mourned 
for  the  departure  of  those  whom  he  personally  loved, 
especially  of  Bishop  Weeks,  to  whom  he  owed  so 
much  for  kindness  and  training  in  boyhood. 

Writing  from  Fernando  Po  on  29  May,  1855,  he 
expresses  his  grief  over  these  troubles  : 

The  late  floods  of  affliction  upon  the  West  African  mission 
are  overwhelming.  The  removal  of  our  good  Bishop  Weeks, 
and  that  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Frey  so  soon  after,  both  just  on 
their  return  from  their  visit  to  the  Bight  of  Benin  and  the 
Gold  Coast,  calls  for  prayers  to  and  humiliation  before  our 
God,  who  is  the  disposer  of  these  painful  dispensations.  Per- 
haps we  have  been  sacrificing  to  the  nets  and  the  drag  instead 
of  to  Him,  who  has  said,  "  Cast  the  net  on  the  right  side  of 
the  ship."  May  our  sins  be  forgiven  and  our  errors  corrected 
in  judgment  and  not  in  anger  ! 


CHAPTER   V 

THE   MISSION   PLANTED   AND   FIRSTFRUITS 

THE  year  of  grace  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  fifty-seven  was  a  memorable  one  in  the 
annals  of  our  Empire.  It  is  marked  in  our  history 
with  a  crimson  stain.  On  the  horizon  of  the  Far 
East  was  the  glare  of  the  Indian  Mutiny;  across  the 
sad  and  silent  sea  were  wafted  the  dying  shouts  of 
brave  and  defenceless  men,  the  shrieks  of  women 
in  terror,  and  children's  cries  of  pain.  The  heart 
of  the  nation  throbbed  with  indignation  and  grief, 
fed  by  the  stream  of  tearful  tidings  which  daily 
reached  our  shores.  But  out  of  the  travail  of  that 
great  sorrow  a  new  India  was  born,  more  loyal,  better 
and  more  wisely  governed,  and  an  open  door  and 
effectual  was  given  to  the  missionary  with  his  message 
of  redeeming  love. 

When  Crowther  heard  the  news  he  immediately 
wrote  a  letter  of  sympathy  from  an  encampment  at 
Zeba,  dated  4  January,  1858  : 

I  deeply  sympathize  with  you  on  account  of  the  sudden 
mutiny  which  has  risen  in  India,  with  the  unparalleled  bar- 
barities attending  it.  The  news  burst  upon  us  all  of  a  sudden 
like  a  dry  tempest,  which  threatened  destruction  everywhere ; 
but  I  believe  the  Lord  will  never  allow  such  afflictions  to  arise 

146 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  147 

without  intending  to  teach  us  something  thereby  ;  the  wrath 
of  man  will  praise  Him,  and  the  remainder  of  wrath  He  will 
restrain. 

The  reputation  of  the  unjust  disparagement  on  the  mission- 
ary work  as  being  the  cause  of  this  barbarous  mutiny  in  India 
will  open  the  eyes  of  those  who  opposed  the  conversion  of  the 
Sepoys,  to  see  what  advantage  it  is  to  any  community  to  have 
converted  natives  mingled  with  it,  who  are  like  salt  in  the 
midst  of  a  mass  of  corruption.  May  it  be  the  fervent  prayer 
of  the  Church  to  God  to  remove  this  heavy  affliction  from  us 
and  to  make  known  what  is  her  duty  to  the  Sepoys  as  a  Chris- 
tian nation,  as  she  has  been  showing  to  the  long-oppressed 
children  of  Ham,  whose  cause  she  has  warmly  taken  in  hand 
for  their  liberation  not  only  from  the  bondage  of  man,  but 
also  from  the  power  of  Satan. 

But  in  other  respects  the  time  was  fraught  with 
great  issues.  Lord  Elgin,  with  his  fleet,  was  breaking 
down  the  barriers  which  shut  in  the  mighty  Chinese 
Empire  from  Western  contact,  and  Japan,  the  youngest 
child  of  the  nations  of  the  world,  had  also  yielded  to 
the  kindly  pressure  of  Commodore  Perry,  and  was 
thereby  taking  the  first  step  on  her  unique  and  swift 
progress  to  power  and  influence.  The  missionary 
field  all  over  the  world  was  witnessing  fresh  conquests. 
The  Isles  of  Fiji  laying  aside  the  idols,  their  cannibal 
King  converted,  were  in  a  state  of  spiritual  revival. 
Under  a  new  Queen  the  breath  .of  persecution  was 
fanning  and  sifting  the  Christian  flock  in  Madagascar, 
men  and  women  going  cheerfully  with  hymn-singing 
to  torture  and  death.  In  England  Livingstone, 
just  about  to  start  upon  his  last  journey,  was  speaking 
at  Cambridge  University,  turning  his  toil-worn  face 
with  its  eyes  of  fire  on  the  Hstening  students  with 
the  words  :    "  I  go  back  to  Africa  to  try  and  make 


148  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

an  open  path  for  commerce  and  Christianity.  Do  you 
carry  out  the  work  which  I  have  begun.  I  leave  it 
with  you."  From  our  shores  had  just  sailed  the  Rev. 
J.  N.  Gordon  for  Erromanga,  where,  like  Wilhams 
before  him,  he  met  a  martyr's  death ;  and  on 
29  June,  in  that  same  year,  a  small  but  well-ap- 
pointed vessel  left  Fernando  Po  for  the  Niger,  with 
Crowther  on  the  deck,  amid  cheers  from  ships  and 
shore.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  in  the 
commercial  history  of  West  Africa  ;  but  as  he  stood 
there,  with  his  Bible  clasped  to  his  heart,  he  saw  in 
the  voyage  a  higher  purpose,  that  of  laying  with 
prayer  and  faith  the  foundations  of  that  missionary 
work  which  should  for  all  time  be  associated  with  his 
name. 

It  was  a  pecuhar  satisfaction  to  him  that  his  old 
friend  and  fellow-traveller.  Dr.  Baikie,  was  appointed 
as  the  responsible  head  and  leader  of  the  expedition, 
and  although  through  the  lamented  death  of  Bishop 
Weeks  and  the  two  missionaries  Messrs.  Beale  and  Frey, 
he  could  not  have  them  and  some  native  helpers  from 
Sierra  Leone  included  in  the  plan,  he  had  with  him 
the  Rev.  J.  C.  Taylor,  a  native  clergyman,  born  in 
Sierra  Leone,  but  the  child  of  liberated  slaves  from 
the  Ibo  country.  In  addition  he  took  with  him 
Simon  Jonas,  who  had  already  done  good  work  in 
connection  with  the  previous  expeditions. 

But  Crowther  had  also  provided  himself  with  another 
companion,  besides  the  two  or  three  native  catechists 
which  made  up  the  party.  The  objective  of  the 
voyage  was   the  great  Foulah  kingdom,  with  its  im- 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  149 

portant  towns  of   Kano,   Rabbah,   and  Sokoto.     He 

therefore  took  precautions  which  in  his  judgment  were 

very  necessary  under  the  circumstances.     He  knew 

he  would  have  to  face  a  Moslem  people.     Here  are 

his  words  on  the  point  : 

I  have  thought  it  advisable,  with  a  view  of  making  favour- 
able impressions  on  the  minds  of  the  Mohammedan  population 
through  whose  country  we  shall  have  to  pass  to  Sokoto  and 
Ilorin,  to  engage  Kosomo,  a  Yoruba  Mohammedan  and 
liberated  African,  who  has  been  an  Arabic  teacher  for  many 
years,  to  accompany  me  on  my  travels.  Kosomo  has  ever 
appreciated  the  benevolence  of  the  British  Government  on 
behalf  of  Africa,  nor  less  so  the  labours  of  the  Church  Mission- 
ary Society  in  converting  the  heathen  from  idolatry  to  the 
worship  of  the  true  God.  Such  a  man  will  do  a  vast  deal  in 
softening  the  bigotry  and  prejudice  of  men  of  his  persuasion. 
The  beginning  of  our  missionary  operations  under  Moham- 
medan government  should  not  be  disputes  about  the  truth  or 
falsehood  of  one  religion  or  another,  but  we  should  aim  at 
toleration,  to  be  permitted  to  teach  their  heathen  subjects  the 
religion  we  profess. 

This  action  on  the  part  of  Crowther  indicates  the 
attitude  which  in  his  opinion  was  a  wise  one  to  take 
up  in  future  dealings  with  these  Mohammedans. 
It  will  be  admitted  that  such  a  course  was  on  the  line 
of  least  resistance,  and,  moreover,  created  friendly 
allies  where  the  work  might  have  made  bitter  foes. 
He  was  eminently  a  man  of  discretion,  and  it  never 
seemed  his  habit  to  undertake  anything  or  embark 
on  any  step  in  life,  however  simple  in  itself,  without 
looking  all  round  the  question  and  estimatmg  probable 
consequences.  Crowther  was  not  the  man  to  be 
carried  away  on  a  mere  wave  of  impulse,  if  tlie  phrase 
may  be  used  he  never  lost  his  head,  and  it  is  equally 
true  that  with  his  indomitable  spirit  of  perseverance 


150  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

he  never  lost  his  heart.  In  all  these  journeys,  travels, 
toils,  and  sometimes  sufferings,  one  great  ideal,  like 
an  undimmed  lamp,  glowed  in  his  very  soul.  It  was, 
as  we  have  seen  from  his  earliest  letters,  the  establish- 
ment of  a  native  Church  in  Africa;  a  native  clergy, 
duly  trained  and  equipped,  ministering  to  their 
own  people.  It  is  said  that  wherever  the  Japanese 
go,  their  alert  mind  estimates  everything  from  one 
absorbing  patriotic  standpoint,  "  How  will  this  benefit 
Japan  ?  "  In  a  nobler  sense  than  this  was  Crowther's 
attitude,  not  only  the  welfare  of  his  country,  but  the 
conversion  of  his  people.  He  had  already  gained 
experience,  and  the  native  churches  of  Sierra  Leone, 
Lagos,  and  Abeokuta  supplied  him  with  reliable  data 
upon  which  to  form  his  conclusions  as  to  future 
possibilities  and  difficulties.  Through  the  cloudy 
sky  of  many  disappointments  the  sun  of  hope  and 
success  still  cheered  him  ;  he  had  such  faith  in  his 
people  and  in  his  God  for  them.  These,  then,  were 
the  thoughts  which  stirred  him  as  he  looked  once 
more  upon  the  broad  expanse  of  that  lordly  Niger, 
whose  hurrying  waves  seemed  to  bring  with  them  the 
cry  of  Macedonia  from  afar. 

The  Day  spring  was  now  well  on  her  way.  She 
had  touched  at  a  village  of  the  Brass  country,  where 
the  inhabitants  were  found  to  be  of  a  very  degraded 
type.  It  was  indeed  in  this  neighbourhood  that  Mr. 
Carr  and  his  servant  so  mysteriously  disappeared. 
The  chief  town  Nembe  they  had  not  time  to  visit, 
and  pushed  on  until  they  reached  Angiama.  In  the 
meantime  Crowther  was  busy  with  his  pen  on  board, 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  151 

sketching  out  divisions  of  the  Bights  of  Benin  and 
Biafra  to  be  occupied  by  different  societies.  He  had 
a  horror  of  so  much  overlapping.  Each  society  its 
own  sphere  of  labour  was  his  idea,  and  he  makes  a 
strong  note  of  his  convictions  at  this  stage  of  the 
work.  He  was  always  in  brotherly  union  with  the 
missionaries  of  other  communions,  but  he  lamented 
the  fact  that  with  the  best  intentions  the  missionary 
societies  were  fostering  the  evil  of  competition  with 
each  other. 

At  Sierra  Leone  (he  writes)  this  unavoidable  evil  has  gone 
to  a  great  extent,  and  it  has  been  unhappily  introduced  into 
the  newly-established  Yoruba  Mission,  where  it  has  already 
begun  to  cause  strife  and  disparagement  of  one  another's 
church  connection  among  the  newly-converted  natives  be- 
longing to  the  difierent  missionary  societies.  This  does  no 
good  in  a  new  mission  field  either  to  the  new  converts  or  to 
the  unconverted  native  population,  and  has  caused  us  many 
sorrowful  days  and  weeks. 

It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  timely  measures  should 
be  adopted  by  the  great  societies,  whose  sole  and  benevolent 
object  is  the  conversion  of  the  heathen  to  Christianity,  and 
to  do  this  effectually  and  with  greater  success  than  hitherto 
they  should,  and  ought  to,  work  separately  for  the  extension 
of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Why  should  not  this  generous- 
hearted  proposal  be  as  applicable  to  Christian  missions  as  to 
the  settlements  of  Abraham  and  Lot  ? 

Is  not  the  whole  land  before  thee  ?  Separate  thyself,  I 
pray  thee,  from  me.  If  thou  wilt  take  the  left  hand,  then 
I  will  go  to  the  right  ;  or  if  thou  wilt  depart  to  the  right  hand, 
then  I  will  go  to  the  left. 

He  was  surprised  and  delighted  to  find  such  im- 
provements in  the  appearance  of  the  natives  of  the 
Delta  ;  the  men  were  wearing  shirts  of  Manchester 
make,  the  soil  was  being  cultivated,  and  he  counted 
one  hundred  native  Brass  canoes,  laden  with  palm  oil, 


152  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

evidently  for  trading  purposes.  Reaching  Abo,  they 
had  a  visit  on  board  from  Aje,  with  his  twelve  spouses, 
but  Crowther  was  sorry  to  find  so  little  improvement 
in  this  self-important  young  ruler.  He  only  asked 
for  rum,  and  because  it  was  liberally  diluted  expressed 
his  dissatisfaction,  and  his  cool  insistence  upon  having 
his  presents  at  once  was  firmly  declined. 

Aje  manifested  his  covetous  propensity  to-day  beyond 
description  ;  his  conduct  on  board  disgusted  everybody,  his 
own  attendants  not  excepted.  His  familiarity  with  Europeans 
from  his  youth,  and  the  kind  indulgence  he  has  ever  met  with 
from  them  as  a  son  of  Obi,  have  completely  spoiled  him.  His 
tenacity  in  keeping  his  attention  fixed  on  any  object  he  cast 
his  eyes  upon  or  which  entered  into  his  brain  to  ask  for  was 
beyond  conception.  My  pair  of  shoes  first  attracted  his 
observation,  which  he  took  without  asking  any  permission 
and  tried  to  put  one  on,  but  fortunately  for  me  my  No.  8  shoe 
could  not  admit  his  enormous  foot  of  the  size  of  No.  ii  or  12. 

Before  he  departed  he  tried  to  get  Mr.  Taylor's 
shoes,  wanted  to  carry  off  the  cushion  kindly  placed 
at  his  back,  made  a  clutch  at  the  handbell  which 
was  being  rung  to  give  notice  that  dinner  was  ready, 
and  generally  displayed  his  cupidity  all  round,  until, 
to  the  relief  of  his  hosts,  he  got  into  his  canoe  and 
paddled  back  home.  Crowther  has  serious  thoughts 
as  he  watches  this  young  ruffian  disappear. 

These  trifling  details  would  have  been  unnecessary  if  they 
have  not  intended  to  show  what  kind  of  man  Aje  is  and  how 
careful  one  should  be  in  entrusting  goods  to  such  a  person, 
who  has  no  control  over  his  covetous  propensity.  I  have 
observed  this  failing  among  the  Abo  people  more  than  in  any 
other  with  whom  we  have  had  communication  in  the  upper 
parts  of  the  river.  Presents  from  the  people  should  be  avoided 
or  refused  as  much  as  possible,  otherwise  one  is  placed  in  the 
painful  position  of  an  insolvent  debtor  ;  if  a  sprat  be  received, 
a  salmon  is  sure  to  be  required  in  its  stead. 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  153 

After  many  subsequent  interviews  with  the  grasping 
Aje,  Crowther  went  to  the  headman  of  another  part 
of  the  town  and  secured  land  whereon  the  new  mission 
premises  might  be  built.  Passing  on  they  landed  at 
Ossamare,  where  they  were  received  with  much 
civility,  and  here  also  the  site  of  a  mission  station  was 
arranged.  When  they  arrived  at  the  important  town 
of  Onitsha,  the  people  took  sheer  fright  at  the  appear- 
ance of  white  men,  the  first  they  had  ever  seen,  and 
it  took  some  time  to  persuade  them  to  lay  aside  their 
weapons  of  defence  and  agree  to  a  friendly  palaver. 
Eventually  one  of  them  acted  as  guide  through 
groves  of  bombax,  cocoanut,  and  palm  trees,  and  some 
plantations  to  the  town  itself,  which  was  finely  situated 
one  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  Niger.  Their 
interviews  with  the  King  and  chiefs  were  most  promis- 
ing. Dr.  Baikie  and  Captain  Grant  were  soon  ar- 
ranging for  a  factory  to  be  built,  and  the  King  addressed 
the  crowd  of  people  in  his  courtyard,  asking  whether 
they  concurred  in  this  proposed  trading  with  the  white 
people.  This  democratic  step  met  with  a  quick 
response,  and  the  agreement  was  concluded  by  firing 
of  muskets,  and  then  one  man  stepped  forward  and 
said  on  behalf  of  the  crowd  that  it  was  felt  that  the 
King's  wishes  were  for  the  good  of  their  country. 
Then  Crowther  mentioned  his  own  particular  mission, 
and  introduced  Mr.  Taylor  as  the  religious  teacher 
who  was  to  live  in  Onitsha,  to  show  them  the  Word 
of  God,  and  to  teach  the  children  to  read,  and  that 
if  they  paid  attention  to  him,  many  more  would 
be  sent  to  live  with  them,  and  all  this  they  promised 


154  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

to  help  and  further  if  they  could.     Afterwards  the 

party  repaired  to  the  town  in  search  of  a  house  in 

which  Mr.  Taylor  should  live  till  the  mission  premises 

were  built.     The  houses  they  found  were  mere  oblong 

squares  of  mud,  without  rooms  or  windows,  and  they 

finally  selected  a  little  square  at  the  price  of  six  pieces 

of  romal  handkerchiefs  at  five  shillings  a  piece.  Leaving 

his  Sierra  Leone  catechists  and  Simon  Jonas  to  clear 

this  mud  mansion  and  make  it  habitable,  Crowther 

makes  a  further  tour  of  discovery,  to  estimate  the 

extent  and  value  of  this  new  sphere  of  work,  and 

notes  his  impressions  as  follows  : 

While  they  were  doing  this  we  took  a  stroll  about  the 
town,  to  know  the  extent  of  it,  as  well  as  to  make  acquaint- 
ances. We  paid  a  visit  to  four  groups  of  houses,  the  chiefs  of 
which  expressed  their  great  joy  at  our  establishments  among 
them.  The  town  of  Onitsha  is  about  one  mile  in  length,  if  not 
more,  which  is  divided  into  two  sections.  On  either  side  are 
groups  of  houses,  a  little  remote  from  the  high  road,  ruled  by 
heads  of  familiar  or  inferior  chiefs.  Both  sides  of  the  road 
are  either  covered  with  bushes  or  plantations  till  you  come  to 
an  open  road  leading  to  a  group  of  houses  further  back  ;  but 
some  of  the  groups  are  close  and  open  to  the  high  road,  where 
also  a  market  is  held  occasionally.  In  the  afternoon  we  re- 
turned on  board,  thankful  for  the  success  God  had  granted 
to  us,  though  we  felt  fatigued  after  a  few  days'  exertions. 
The  whole  of  yesterday  and  to-day  was  a  very  busy  time 
about  Onitsha  ;  goods  were  landed,  bushes  were  cleared,  and 
sticks  cut  for  the  construction  of  the  factory  shed  ;  the 
botanist  and  naturalist  took  their  departments  in  the  fields  ; 
while  some  of  the  naval  gentlemen,  not  content  to  go  out  in 
the  dawn  of  the  morning  to  he  in  wait  for  the  hippopotami  in 
their  hitherto  undisturbed  haunts,  pitched  their  tent  in  the 
immediate  neighbourhood  of  these  amphibious  quadrupeds, 
if  possible  to  shoot  one  of  them  at  the  same  time  they  were 
pursuing  their  nautical  observations  ;  but  the  mosquitoes, 
the  universal  pest  of  the  rivers,  did  not  leave  them  unmolested 
during  their  nightly  watch. 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  155 

During  their  stay  at  Onitsha,  although  they  were 
treated  with  great  kindness,  and  on  every  hand 
there  seemed  a  willingness  to  receive  the  Gospel, 
they  had  abundant  proof  that  heathenism  and  super- 
stition had  a  strong  hold  upon  the  people.  On 
one  occasion  as  they  were  going  through  the  town 
to  their  temporary  lodging,  Crowther  noticed  a 
number  of  people  dressed  in  their  best,  and  in  one 
of  the  square  houses  was  a  crowd  of  men  and  women 
excitedly  dancing  to  the  beat  of  drums  and  firing 
of  muskets.  When  they  reached  the  door  they  in- 
quired of  a  headman  what  was  the  cause  of  all  this 
jubilation,  and  were  told  that  it  was  in  honour  of 
the  burial  of  a  relative  who  died  six  months  ago. 
Simon  Jonas,  who  had  remained  on  shore  the  night 
before,  had  also  heard  that  a  human  sacrifice  was  to 
be  made.  This  roused  the  indignation  of  Crowther, 
and  in  the  presence  of  a  crowd  of  people  he  protested 
against  this  cruel  act.  It  appeared  that  the  victim, 
a  poor  blameless  female  slave,  was  already  waiting 
for  execution,  and  she  was  not  a  little  astonished  to 
find  the  Christian  teacher  chivalrously  standing 
betwixt  her  and  death.  The  headman  then  pro- 
posed that  Crowther  should  buy  the  woman,  and  they 
would  kill  a  bullock  instead  ;  but  this  he  refused  to 
do.  However,  afterwards  it  was  discovered  that  the 
poor  creature  was  loosed  from  her  bonds. 

Better  times  were  now  at  hand.  Not  only  the 
mission  premises  began  to  put  in  an  appearance, 
but  in  due  time  a  number  of  native  workmen  were 
busy  building  the  factory,  and  at  a  solemn  council 


156  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

of  the  King  and  his  headmen  protection  was  guaranteed 
to  the  houses,  the  work,  and  the  persons  employed  ; 
also  they  promised  to  abolish  human  sacrifices  and 
to  absolve  all  visitors  from  the  white  man's  country 
from  the  native  law  which  permits  no  stranger  to 
sit  on  any  mat  or  seat  in  the  King's  court.  Crowther 
then  left  Mr.  Taylor,  Simon  Jonas,  and  three  young 
traders  from  Sierra  Leone  to  make  Onitsha  their 
future  home,  affectionately  saying  "  Good-bye,"  and 
praying  that  the  blessing  of  God  might  be  their  joy 
and  stay.  It  is  worthy  of  note  that  this  was  the  first 
stage  in  planting  a  purely  native  mission  as  an  off- 
shoot of  the  colony  of  Sierra  Leone,  and  having  a 
purely  native  ministry  was  a  move  in  advance  of 
the  Yoruba  mission,  which  was  under  the  guidance 
and  teaching  of  Europeans.  Crowther  rejoiced  in 
spirit.     He  writes  at  this  time  : 

Mr.  Taylor  has  to  break  open  the  fallow  ground  and  to 
sow  the  seed  of  a  future  bountiful  harvest  among  the  people 
of  his  fatherland.  May  this  be  the  beginning  of  a  rapid  over- 
spread of  Christianity  in  the  countries  on  the  banks  of  the 
Niger  and  in  the  heart  of  Africa  through  native  agents  !  In 
parting  with  his  colleague  Crowther  gave  him  much  valuable 
advice.  "  Though  we  are  about  to  separate,"  says  he,  "  f or  a 
season,  dear  brother,  yet  you  are  not  alone.  '  Lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway,'  is  the  faithful  promise  of  the  Lord  of  the  harvest 
to  His  disciples  ;  this  will  also  be  realized  concerning  us.  .  .  . 
Your  ministerial  duties  will  be  very  simple  and  plain.  You 
will  have  to  teach  more  by  conversation  when  you  visit  the 
people  or  they  visit  you,  at  the  beginning,  than  by  direct 
service.  Be  instant  in  season  and  out  of  season.  May  the 
Lord  give  you  wisdom  to  win  souls  to  Himself  !  You  will 
need  much  patience  to  bear  and  forbear  with  the  ignorance 
and  simplicity  of  the  people,  they  are  like  babes.  ...  Be  not 
disappointed  if  you  find  the  people  do  not  act  as  to  their 
engagement ;    it  is  rather  a  matter  of  surprise  that  they  do 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  157 

so  much.     They  must  be  taught  the  lesson  of  justice  and 
truth,  and  that  by  your  own  example." 

With  these  and  many  other  admonitions  of  a  very 
practical  character  Crowther  left  Onitsha,  fully  con- 
vinced that  he  could  not  have  selected  a  better  place 
as  the  headquarters  of  the  Ibo  mission  establishments, 
for  health,  goodwill  of  the  people,  and  facilities  for 
holding  communication  with  the  interior. 

As  the  Dayspring  drew  near  to  Idda  they  heard 
that  the  old  Ata  was  dead,  and  that  two  rivals  were 
fighting  for  the  throne.  A  little  difficulty  was  ex- 
perienced when  the  ship  drew  near  the  shore,  and 
Crowther  landed  for  the  first  time. 

At  the  dawn  I  heard  the  gougon  at  the  landing-place,  and 
the  town  crier  said  something  about  the  Oibo  which  I  could 
not  understand.  At  7  a.m.  we  landed  on  English  Island, 
where  we  met  Ama-Abokko,  our  old  friend,  who  had  come 
from  the  Confluence  some  time  ago  on  political  business.  He 
had  heard  of  our  arrival  at  Abo  and  had  been  expecting  us. 
Having  entertained  us  as  usual,  he  was  requested  to  send  a 
messenger  to  announce  our  arrival  to  the  Ata  and  our  inten- 
tion to  visit  him  in  the  course  of  the  day  ;  he  would  not  tell 
us,  when  asked,  whether  the  old  Ata  was  alive  or  dead.  His 
reply  to  that  question  was,  "  King  never  dies."  We  returned 
on  board  for  breakfast.  Before  noon  we  landed  to  pay  our 
respects  to  the  Ata,  and  were  conducted  by  Ama's  messenger 
first  to  Abeya,  where  we  were  kindly  received  and  entertained 
according  to  custom.  After  a  considerable  delay  we  were  con- 
ducted to  the  house  of  our  old  friend  Ehemodina,  who  em- 
braced me  and  Dr.  Baikie  with  open  arms  to  express  his  joy 
at  seeing  us  again.  Here  we  sat,  and  were  entertained  as 
usual. 

But  this  hospitality  was  interrupted  by  the  en- 
trance of  the  head  eunuch,  and  difficulties  were 
promptly  placed  in  the  way  of  an  interview  with  the 


158  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

King.  In  a  tone  of  insolence  this  man  told  the  visitors 
they  might  sail  away  if  they  liked,  as  the  river  was 
open  for  everybody,  but  the  Ata  should  not  be  seen 
that  day.  In  like  manner  Captain  Trotter  had  been 
treated  sixteen  years  before,  and  Mr.  Beecroft,  the 
consul,  fared  no  better,  and  on  the  last  occasion  Crow- 
ther  found  himself  stopped  at  all  points  when  he  desired 
to  see  the  Ata.  It  was  felt  that  this  swaggering 
official  must  be  taught  that  the  white  man  was  not 
to  be  played  with,  so  the  whole  party  rose  and  re- 
turned to  the  ship  without  a  word.  This  had  the 
desired  effect ;  a  string  of  royal  notables  came  on 
board  next  morning  to  apologize  for  the  affront, 
and  after  much  palaver  the  King  was  finally  visited, 
a  new  young  Ata  in  the  place  of  the  old,  who  promised 
to  follow  in  his  father's  footsteps  as  regards  his  friend- 
ship with  white  men.  Before  leaving  Idda  a  learned 
mallam,  who  had  been  there  four  years,  was  intro- 
duced to  Crowther.  He  had  a  full  copy  of  the  Koran, 
and  from  him  some  shght  information  was  gathered 
respecting  Sumo  Zaki  and  Dasaba,  whom  Crowther 
was  hoping  to  see  at  the  end  of  the  journey.  A  few 
days  later  a  number  of  Mohammedans  were  also 
interviewed,  and  portions  of  the  Koran  were  read 
aloud;  one  of  these  men  not  only  read  with  great 
fluency,  but  shutting  up  the  book  he  repeated  chapter 
after  chapter  from  memory,  to  the  great  surprise 
and  admiration  of  all.     Crowther's  comments  are  : 

The  further  we  go  the  more  convinced  I  am  of  the  necessity 
of  introducing  the  study  of  Arabic  into  our  institutions  at 
Sierra  Leone.    What  advantage  it  would  have  given  if  any  one 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  159 

of  the  Christian  teachers  could  also  have  stepped  forward  and 
read  a  few  verses  out  of  his  Arabic  Bible  !  Such  capability 
would  place  the  teachers  of  the  Anasaras  in  a  much  more 
prominent  position  among  these  self-conceited  people.  Beside 
this,  I  believe  in  this  part  of  Africa,  where  the  knowledge  of 
Arabic  is  so  imperfectly  known,  the  use  of  the  Arabic  character, 
combined  with  teaching  in  Roman  or  italic  characters  in  the 
native  tongues,  would  be  the  means  of  counterbalancing  the 
rapid  spread  of  Mohammedanism  among  the  rising  generation. 
But  so  long  as  the  use  of  the  Arabic  character  is  excluded 
from  our  schools  and  left  to  the  use  of  the  ignorant  followers 
of  Mohammed  alone,  they  will  take  advantage  of  this  to  con- 
tinue their  deception  upon  the  ignorant  heathen  by  holding 
these  letters  as  more  holy  than  any  others  in  the  world  ;  but 
by  these  characters  being  brought  into  common  use  their 
artful  cheat  would  be  laid  open. 

In  this  town  of  Ghebe  Crowther  arranged  for  mission 
premises  to  be  erected  on  the  north  side  of  the  town, 
while  the  site  of  the  factory  had  been  settled  on  the 
south.  Some  rather  awkward  situations  were  caused 
by  a  misunderstanding  with  the  farmers,  who  thought 
their  land  was  being  confiscated,  and  stopped  the 
workmen  accordingly.  This  fortunately  quieted  down, 
and  Crowther  gives  an  interesting  word  picture  of 
a  meeting  he  had  when  he  had  gone  ashore  after  con- 
ducting a  service  : 

After  service  I  went  on  shore  to  make  a  beginning  of  public 
Christian  instruction  in  the  town  of  Ghebe.  Mr.  Crook,  the 
disbanded  soldier  of  the  Nup6  nation,  interpreted  for  me  in 
Nupe,  there  being  a  large  number  who  speak  that  language 
there.  Besides  my  English  I  took  an  Arabic  Bible  and  Schon's 
translations  of  St.  Matthew  and  St.  John  into  Hausa,  and  an 
Ibo  primer,  out  of  which  to  teach  the  alphabet.  Taking  my 
seat  in  the  Galadima's  ante-hall,  which  is  the  common  resort 
of  all  the  people,  holding  from  forty  to  fifty  persons,  a  number 
of  both  sexes,  old  and  young,  soon  entered,  as  usual,  to  look 
on.  Having  carefully  placed  my  books  on  the  mat,  after  the 
custom  of  the  mallams,  Mr.  Crook  sitting  on  my  right,  and 


i6o  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

Kasumo  on  my  left,  I  commenced  my  conversation  by  telling 
them  that  to-day  was  the  Christian  Sabbath,  on  which  we 
rest  from  our  labour,  according  to  the  commandment  of  God. 
The  Galadima  came  in,  and  to  him  I  read  some  verses  from 
the  third  chapter  of  St.  John  in  Hausa,  in  the  hearing  of  the 
people,  which  he  understood  and  which,  by  further  explana- 
tion, became  more  intelligible  to  him.  In  the  meantime  some 
Mohammedans  walked  in  and  desired  to  see  the  Arabic  Bible, 
which  I  delivered  to  Kasumo  to  read  and  translate  to  them. 
The  Galadima,  who  reads  Arabic,  expressed  a  wish  as  soon  as 
the  school  opened  to  learn  to  read  Hausa  in  Roman  or  italic 
characters.  There  was  an  intelligent  young  man  present  who 
could  read  Arabic,  who  was  also  very  anxious  to  read  our 
translations  in  the  italic  character.  After  a  long  talk  I  ran 
over  the  alphabet  from  the  Ibo  primer  several  times  with  the 
Galadima  and  the  young  man,  at  which  they  showed  much 
quickness  and  intelligence.  I  then  gave  an  Arabic  copy  of  the 
Bible  as  a  present  to  the  Galadima.  This  was  so  unexpected 
that  he  did  not  know  how  sufi&ciently  to  express  his  gratitude 
in  words  ;  and,  contrary  to  the  usage  of  the  Mohammedans, 
he  actually  was  going  to  throw  dust  on  his  forehead  as  a  token 
of  the  value  he  placed  on  this  gift,  when  Kasumo  stopped 
him  by  saying  it  was  not  our  custom  to  do  so.  He  said  his 
father  would  be  able  to  read  it  fluently.  May  the  Lord  bless 
this  small  and  feeble  beginning  of  an  attempt  to  introduce  the 
religion  of  Christ  into  this  benighted  part  of  Africa  !  May 
the  prayers  of  the  Church  be  heard  on  its  behalf  ! 

Throughout  Crowther's  journals  one  is  continually 
reminded  of  his  reverent  regard  for  the  Sabbath  Day. 
It  always  gave  him  pain  and  much  heart-searching 
when  upon  these  voyages  he  found  the  sailors  busy 
with  getting  and  storing  fuel,  and  working  in  other 
ways  which  defrauded  them  of  their  day  of  rest. 
And  we  see  him  here  in  his  service  on  board,  under 
date  23  August,  preaching  a  practical  and  fervent 
discourse  on  the  well-kno\vn  text,  Exodus  xx.  8, 
"  Remember  the  Sabbath  Day,  to  keep  it  holy." 
When   going   ashore   to   teach   the   people   he   fre- 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  i6r 

quently  took  with  him  one  of  the  officers  of  the  ship, 
and  these  would  appreciate  the  difficulties  which 
the  missionary  must  encounter,  and  which  would 
scarcely  be  likely  in  a  place  of  worship  at  home. 
As  an  instance  of  this,  here  is  an  extract  from  the 
record  of  a  Saturday  afternoon  preaching  : 

When  a  sufficient  number  was  collected  I  began  to  address 
them  from  Matthew  vii.  12  :  "  Therefore  all  things  whatsoever 
ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them, 
for  this  is  the  law  and  the  prophets,"  to  which  they  paid  very 
great  attention.  I  read  the  text  from  the  Hausa  translations 
as  occasion  required  ;  and  as  the  Galadima  was  present  I 
made  Kasumo  read  the  verse  from  the  Arabic  Bible,  to 
assure  him  that  the  Hausa  translations  agreed  with  the 
Arabic  text.  Lieut.  Glover  took  his  seat  on  one  side  of  the 
raised  floor  to  witness  our  mode  of  teaching.  Every  atten- 
tion was  paid  to  all  that  was  being  said,  when  a  little  inter- 
ruption took  place  among  the  hearers.  As  the  people  stood 
thick  against  the  doorway,  a  respectable  looking  man  who 
was  present  desired  a  girl  of  about  thirteen  years  of  age  to 
move  a  little  out  of  the  way  to  give  him  room,  but  she  abused 
the  man  by  calling  him  a  dog.  The  man,  being  indignant  at 
such  an  insult,  proceeded  to  punish  her  with  his  long  pipe- 
stick,  which  caused  such  a  disturbance  just  at  the  moment  I 
was  telling  them  of  the  dying  legacy  Christ  left  to  His  Church, 
"  Peace  I  leave  with  you,"  etc.,  that  I  was  obliged  to  stop 
and  pacify  the  man,  while  the  girl  made  her  escape  through 
the  opposite  passage.  This  circumstance  directed  my  dis- 
course to  the  duty  of  obedience  which  children  owe  their 
parents  and  inferiors  to  their  superiors.  I  kept  them  long 
until  I  perceived  they  were  beginning  to  be  weary,  when  I 
ceased  speaking  and  employed  the  remainder  of  the  time 
teaching  from  the  Ibo  primer  till  half-past  three,  when  I  closed 
altogether. 

While  anchored  opposite  Little  Fojo  the  mate  died, 
and  the  sorrowful  party  of  the  ship's  company  followed 
his  coffin  to  the  place  of  burial  on  a  small  island  near 
the  right  bank  of  the  river.     They  laid  their  comrade 

M 


i62  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

to  rest  under  a  little  tree,  opposite  the  lower  corner  of 
the  Rennell  Mountains,  cutting  a  cross  on  the  bark 
with  a  chisel,  together  with  his  initials  and  the  date. 
Crowther  says  the  day  was  very  hot,  the  thermometer 
standing  at  112°  ! 

On  9  September  they  reached  the  town  of  Muregi, 
at  the  Confluence  of  the  Kowarra  and  Lafun  or  Ka- 
duna,  and  as  the  latter  appeared  to  be  a  navigable 
stream,  the  Day  spring  steamed  up,  passing  the  villages 
of  Nupeko  and  Bajofu  on  the  right  bank,  and  Nku 
and  Abogi  on  the  left,  and  at  sunset  they  anchored 
off  the  ruins  of  Gbara,  the  former  capital  of  the  Nupe 
country,  now  reduced  to  a  village  of  potters,  standing 
at  the  foot  of  Mount  Barrow,  called  by  the  natives 
Kpate  Gbara,  or  Gbara  Hill.  This  happened  to  be 
the  old  home  of  Mr.  Crook,  their  Nupe  interpreter, 
who  was  naturally  very  excited  on  visiting  the  place 
after  an  absence  of  forty-five  years.  As  they  ap- 
proached Wuyagi,  the  landing-place  for  the  camp 
at  Bida,  Crowther  looked  forward  with  keen  antici- 
pation to  seeing  the  great  Fulani  king,  Sumo  Zaki, 
and  Dasaba,  upon  which  interview  so  much  of  the 
future  of  the  mission  depended,  at  any  rate  in  that 
wide  district.  As  an  act  of  courtesy  some  horses 
had  been  sent  for  their  use,  and  at  dawn  they  entered 
the  huge  Mohammedan  camp,  hearing  all  round  them 
voices  of  the  faithful  at  their  devotions  uttering  the 
"  Allahu  -  akbaru,"  although  seeing  as  yet  no  man. 
Presently  they  passed  a  blacksmith's  shop,  where  a 
man  was  making  knives  and  beating  out  a  sword  blade; 
then  they  saw  the  carpenter  cutting  shoes  and  stools, 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  163 

and  the  whitesmith  in  his  shop  repairing  the  royal 
brass  trumpet.  At  this  point  the  rain  came  down 
in  a  steady  drizzle,  and  the  visitors  took  refuge  in 
a  shed,  where  a  number  of  natives  were  sitting  round 
a  fire.  The  weather  clearing  up,  they  crossed  to  the 
market  place,  with  its  slaves,  a  woman  with  her  infant 
just  being  sold  for  70,000  cowries,  equal  to  £7. 

Finally,  pressing  through  a  crowd  of  princesses, 
courtiers,  and  other  persons  of  high  rank,  they  were 
ushered  into  the  presence  of  the  king,  Sumo  Zaki, 
a  man  about  forty  years  old,  and  of  an  exceedingly 
cordial  manner.  His  Majesty  shook  hands  all  round, 
begged  them  to  sit  on  mats  prepared  for  their  use, 
and  in  his  profuse  expressions  of  joy  and  welcome 
told  his  visitors  that  he  believed  it  was  not  for  his 
own  goodness,  but  it  was  God  who  directed  them  to 
visit  him.  This  interview  was  of  so  much  importance 
that  Crowther  himself  shall  take  up  the  narrative, 
and  thereby  show  again,  from  his  point  of  view,  the 
relative  position  of  Christian  mission  work  and  the 
Mohammedan  religion.  He  also  gives  here  an  amusing 
picture  of  a  rather  volatile  leader  of  armies,  who  could 
hardly  be  credited  with  the  grim  qualities  which 
led  to  the  devastation  of  the  Niger  country.  But 
behind  the  smile  of  an  African  heathen  there  may  be 
a  ferocity  which  spares  nothing  when  aroused. 

After  this  (writes  Crowther)  I  introduced  myself  to  him 
as  a  mallam  sent  by  the  great  mallams  from  the  white  man's 
country  to  see  the  state  of  the  heathen  population  and  to 
know  the  mind  of  the  rulers,  whether  we  might  teach  the 
people  the  rehgion  of  Anasara  and  at  the  same  time  intro- 
duce trade  among  them.    To  this  he  at  once  gave  a  full  consent. 


i64  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

sajnng  that  it  was  all  one — we  might  teach  them,  and  that  he 
would  give  us  a  place  for  a  station  at  Rabba  on  their  return 
after  the  rains.  He  also  gave  free  consent  to  trade  in  all  parts 
of  the  river,  with  his  protection  as  far  as  his  influence  ex- 
tended. He  then  entertained  us  with  a  large  calabash  full  of 
kola  nuts,  some  of  which  he  first  took  himself,  and  after 
dividing  them  gave  the  parts  to  Dr.  Baikie  as  a  token  of  great 
friendship  between  us.  After  his  presents  were  given  him, 
with  which  he  was  well  pleased,  he  requested  us  to  visit 
Dasaba  in  his  department,  which  was  about  half  a  mile  dis- 
tant from  Sumo  Zaki.  The  doctor  had  tried  to  get  them  both 
together  before  the  interview  took  place,  but  it  was  not  prac- 
tical. Dasaba  is  half-brother  to  Sumo  Zaki  on  the  father's 
side,  who  was  Mallam  Deudo,  but  his  mother  was  a  Nufei. 
We  met  him  dressed  in  a  fine  white  silk  tobe.  He  is  between 
forty  and  fifty  years  of  age,  and  appears  to  be  a  person  of  very 
lively  disposition  and  humorous  in  his  manner.  After  the 
usual  salutations  we  took  our  seats  on  the  mats  and  hides 
spread  on  the  ground  for  us.  When  the  Doctor  repeated  the 
object  of  his  coming  to  this  country  it  pleased  him  so  much 
that  he  rolled  on  his  mat  for  joy,  and  in  such  a  jocular  manner 
that  it  excited  us  all  to  laughter.  He  was  quite  agreeable  to 
anything  which  his  brother  agreed  to,  as  he  gave  the  first 
place  to  him  and  made  his  brother's  wishes  his  own.  After 
the  kola  nuts  were  passed  he  presented  the  Doctor  with  a  cow  ; 
but  when  he  had  received  the  Doctor's  presents  he  was  so 
pleased  that  he  added  a  sheep,  lots  of  yams,  and  a  pot  of 
palm  oil. 

On  our  leaving  he  accompanied  us  to  the  street  and  saw 
us  mount  in  safety,  and  we  returned  to  our  lodging.  When 
once  bad  principles  are  raised  in  the  mind,  especially  in  a 
bigoted  people  like  the  Mohammedans,  whose  religion  does 
not  teach  them  to  put  charitable  constructions  on  what  may 
be  said  of  other  people,  how  absurd  and  unlikely  soever  it 
may  be,  it  is  a  most  difficult  task  to  overcome  such  prejudice 
in  any  other  way  but  by  showing  the  reverse  in  our  own 
dealings  with  them.  It  had  been  circulated  about  the  country 
and  believed  that  as  the  Anasaras  do  not  belong  to  the  religion 
of  Mohammed  they  cannot  be  friendly  with  the  people  of  that 
faith,  and  that  they  cannot^bear  the  sight  of  a  Mohammedan 
praying  in  the  name  of  Mohammed,  whom  his  followers  be- 
lieve to  be  the  true  prophet  of  God.  But  the  appearance  of 
Abdul   Kadu.   the   Foota  Toro  interpreter,   and   Kasumo,   a 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  165 

Yoruba,  both  of  them  Mohammedans  and  tolerable  Arabic 
scholars,  in  our  company,  excited  some  inquiries  respecting 
our  situation  and  the  treatment  they  received  from  us  on 
board.  Sumo  Zaki  himself  was  not  behind  in  having  his 
curiosity  gratified  in  tliis  respect.  They  were  not  a  little  sur- 
prised to  hear  from  these  men  of  their  own  persuasion  that 
we  treated  them  with  the  utmost  kindness  and  did  not  in  the 
least  put  any  obstacle  in  the  way  of  their  performing  their 
religious  exercises.  This  was  certainly  unexpected  tidings  to 
a  people  shut  up  in  the  interior  of  the  country,  having  no 
intercourse  with  the  civilized  world.  Those  who  brought  them 
news  from  the  coast  were  not  such  as  had  opportunity  of  dis- 
arming themselves  of  the  prejudice  they  had  imbibed  by 
mingling  with  Christians  of  sound  principles  and  of  friendly 
disposition.  A  Mohammedan  can  never  be  brought  round  by 
his  religion  being  quarrelled  with  and  abusively  charged  with 
falsehood  and  imposition,  but  by  kind  treatment  he  may  be 
led  to  read  and  study  the  Christian's  Bible,  which  by  the 
blessing  of  God  may  lead  him  from  the  error  of  his  way. 

This  advice  is  a  counsel  of  perfection,  and  will 
possibly,  after  all  these  intervening  years  of  experience, 
be  confirmed  by  missionaries  to-day  who  are  labouring 
amongst  Moslem  people,  A  visit  to  the  ruins  of 
Rabbah,  from  which  the  highlands  of  Yoruba  were  seen, 
was  a  point  of  some  importance,  because  it  was 
found  that  this  place  was  directly  on  the  caravan 
route  between  Kano  and  Yoruba,  and  the  halting- 
place  for  Ilorin,  a  great  stronghold  of  Mohammedanism. 
Here  at  this  spot  one  of  the  native  crew,  Joe  from  the 
South  Sea  Islands,  going  ashore  after  an  illness, 
ate  some  roots  which  he  mistook  for  cassava,  which 
is  eatable  in  this  country.  In  a  few  days  he  died, 
self-poisoned  by  misadventure,  and  was  buried  by 
Crowther  on  the  high  cHff.  Next  day  they  were 
fortunate  enough  to  meet  with  some  Borgu  traders, 
whose   business   is   with   Ashanti,    and   Dr.    Baikie's 


i66  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

servant,  a  Fanti,  was  able  to  speak  to  them.  Others 
of  the  party,  who  were  Yorubas,  were  brought  on 
board  to  see  over  the  ship,  and  said  they  knew  the 
very  spot  where  Mungo  Park's  boat  was  wrecked, 
which  their  fathers  used  to  tell  them  was  built  of 
brass  at  the  bow  and  the  inside  was  full  of  sharp  irons, 
against  which  they  used  to  be  warned,  when  diving 
in  that  direction.  Crowther,  therefore,  entertained 
the  hope  that  he  might  see  this  place,  associated  with 
this  great  traveller.  Steering  carefully  between  the 
steep  rocks  which  made  a  narrow  channel  of  the  river 
beyond  Jeba  Island,  the  Dayspring  struck  and  drifted, 
leaking  rapidly,  broken  upon  some  rocky  islets  partly 
under  the  water.  In  a  few  moments  their  devoted 
vessel  became  a  total  wreck.  They  had  only  time  to 
collect  what  was  possible,  and  carry  it  to  the  shore, 
by  the  help  of  friendly  canoes,  and  had  to  pass  the 
nights,  a  tornado  of  wind  and  rain  sweeping  over 
them,  with  hardly  any  shelter,  except  rain-coats  and 
umbrellas.  When  the  day  broke  they  saw  their 
vessel  rapidly  disappearing,  and  the  captain,  seeing 
there  was  no  hope,  decided  to  abandon  her.  Friendly 
natives  again  brought  them  food,  and  a  messenger 
was  sent  down  to  the  Confluence  to  look  for  the  Sun- 
beam, which  vessel  was  expected  to  follow,  and  there 
report  the  woeful  plight  they  were  in.  Meanwhile 
their  visitors  from  the  outlying  villages  were  quite 
prepared  with  a  theory  in  explanation  of  the  disaster. 
They  said  that  Ketsa,  the  god  of  the  peak,  had  a  dishke 
to  red  clothes,  and  having  seen  that  colour  among 
the    shipwrecked    party,    had    broken    up    the    ship. 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  167 

This  gave  an  opportunity  to  obtain  considerable 
information  about  this  sensitive  deity,  whose  worship 
had  such  a  hold  upon  these  poor  people.  And  then 
he  began  to  declare  unto  them  the  true  God.  He 
told  them  that  the  day  of  their  sudden  visit  was  the 
day  of  Soko  (the  great  God),  who  made  of  one  blood 
all  nations  of  the  earth,  and  (taking  the  hand  of  Mr. 
Glover  and  of  the  Nupe  interpreter,  being  of  different 
nations)  yet  God  made  us  all  alike  as  are  the  members 
of  one  body  (pointing  to  each  separately),  and  the 
great  God  who  made  these  great  waters  on  which 
they  had  come  in  their  boat,  and  also  the  high  hill 
of  Ketsa,  which  stands  in  the  midst  of  the  great 
waters,  is  the  God  whom  the  white  men  worship,  fear, 
honour,  and  love,  and  nothing  else.  This  enforced 
delay  was  utilized  to  advantage,  Crowther  making 
many  excursions  into  the  interior,  sometimes  running 
no  small  risks  in  dealing  with  chiefs  of  a  treacherous 
and  unprincipled  character. 

One  day  a  strange  voice  was  heard  in  the  crowd 
of  natives,  saluting  Crowther  with  "  Good  morning, 
sir  !  "  and  the  speaker,  dressed  in  an  old  cast-off  tobe 
and  Turkish  trousers,  proved  to  be  Henry  George, 
a  Sunday  scholar  at  Abeokuta.  He  had  a  very  sad 
story  to  tell  of  experiences  in  the  Nupe  country, 
as  one  of  Dasaba's  warriors.  He  then  showed  that 
he  had  not  quite  forgotten  his  reading  and  writing, 
and  with  his  finger  he  forthwith  scratched  his  full 
name  on  the  sand.  As  Crowther's  interpreter  had 
been  sent  down  to  the  coast  with  the  mail,  and  his 
Hausa    servant    had    been    promised    to    Lieutenant 


i68  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

Glover,  he  engaged  this  young  fellow  to  continue  with 
him. 

Another  even  more  agreeable  surprise  was  when 
an  American  missionary,  the  Rev.  M.  Clark,  paid 
them  a  visit,  having  heard  of  their  misfortunes, 
and  brought  with  him  some  sugar,  tea,  and  coffee, 
which  were  real  comforts  to  Crowther  and  his  com- 
panions, who  had  been  living  on  parched  Indian  corn, 
sweetened  with  honey,  for  many  weeks  past.  The 
visitor  also  brought  them  news  of  the  outer  world, 
of  the  Indian  Mutiny,  and  also  some  old  newspapers, 
which  were  eagerly  scanned.  Christmas  Day  was 
spent  with  as  much  decoration  as  was  possible ; 
the  Union  Jack  flew  at  the  head  of  the  tent,  a  string 
of  ship's  flags  and  some  branches  of  green  shrubs 
were  arranged  over  the  doorway,  and  at  the  proper 
time  in  the  morning  Crowther  conducted  service 
and  read  the  Homily  on  the  Nativity  and  Birth  of 
our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  At  twelve 
o'clock  seven  guns  were  fired,  echoing  along  the  vaUey 
of  the  Yoruba  hills  opposite,  and  the  purser,  with 
much  ingenuity,  made  a  plum  pudding  out  of  Indian 
flour  and  a  few  currants,  to  follow  the  fowl  which 
took  the  place  of  the  usual  turkey.  If  this  Christmas 
was  spent  in  somewhat  Crusoe  fashion,  it  was  none 
the  less  a  happy  one.  The  httle  lonely  group  thought 
of  wives  and  children  and  loved  ones  far  away,  and 
Crowther  remarks,  with  his  common-sense  way  of 
looking  at  things  :  "  To  me  it  was  a  matter  of  much 
satisfaction  and  thankfulness  to  the  Giver  of  all  good 
things  that  the  party  continued  in  such  good  health 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  169 

in  a  place  believed  to  be  most  deadly  in  its  influence 
on  the  European  constitution."  A  week  afterwards 
he  makes  some  notes  in  his  diary,  bearing  date  i 
January,  1858  : 

"  A  happy  new  year  to  you  !  "  was  the  salutation  and 
wish  which  passed  from  one  to  the  other  early  this  morning. 
Last  night  we  all  kept  up  till  twelve  o'clock  and  the  old  year 
passed  away  and  the  new  one  commenced.  Two  large  guns 
were  fired  to  welcome  this  new  round  of  time.  How  many 
recollections  of  the  past  were  brought  to  mind,  and  how 
serious  the  thought  of  what  the  new  year  may  bring  forth  ! 
May  God  prepare  us  to  meet  every  event  as  faithful  soldiers 
of  Christ. 

Kasumo,  the  Arabic  interpreter,  having  returned, 
came  one  night  to  Crowther  with  the  Futa  interpreter, 
and  held  a  long  conversation  on  the  Christian  re- 
ligion until  one  o'clock  in  the  morning.  They  had 
some  doubts  in  their  mind  which  they  wished  cleared 
up,  whether  it  was  Christ  Himself  who  suffered  death 
upon  the  Cross,  or  whether  another  person  was  sub- 
stituted in  His  place,  to  save  Him  from  that 
ignominious  death,  which  they  had  been  taught  to 
believe  God  would  not  suffer  Christ  to  endure,  out  of 
the  great  honour  put  upon  Him.  This  naturally 
led  to  a  long  explanation  and  an  account  of 
Christ's  passion,  and  Crowther  says  he  put  it  to 
them  thus  :  "  that  if  Christ  Himself  had  not  died, 
then  we  were  found  false  witnesses,  because  then 
He  had  never  shed  His  blood,  which  is  the  price 
of  our  redemption  ;  that  if  anything  were  kept  back 
from  Christ's  ignominious  death  from  a  desire  to 
honour  Him,  by  so  doing  we  deduct  from  the  great 


170  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

dignity  He  obtained  by  His  sufferings  and  death." 
So  much  were  these  two  inquirers  impressed  with 
the  truth  of  Christianity  that  both  of  them  admitted 
that  their  knowledge  from  the  Koran  alone  was  very 
scanty  and  weak. 

Crowther  obtained  permission  from  one  of  the 
chiefs  to  secure  a  piece  of  ground  for  mission  premises  ; 
five  conical  huts  were  to  be  erected  thereon.  He 
had  a  desire  to  acquire  also  an  adjoining  portion  of 
land  upon  which  a  huge  pile  of  hippopotamus  bones 
had  been  erected,  but  this  was  a  fetish  arrangement, 
and  could  not  be  disturbed.  But  he  purchased  a 
native  boat  and  fitted  it  up  with  seats  for  six  passen- 
gers, and  then,  in  the  sight  of  an  admiring  crowd,  he 
launched  it  with  the  name  of  the  Mission  Canoe. 
Amongst  the  Mohammedans  Crowther  discovered 
a  keen  spirit  of  inquiry,  and  scarcely  a  day  passed 
without  some  question  being  put  to  him,  comparing 
their  religion  with  Christianity.  It  was  the  fast  of 
Ramadan. 

During  the  fasting  days  the  constant  question  was  :  "Do 
not  the  Anasaras  fast  ?  "  My  reply  was  :  "  Yes,  they  do 
fast  ;  but  the  fast  of  the  Anasaras  is  of  a  more  private  and 
conscientious  kind  than  your  public  one.  Thousands  of  the 
Anasaras  may  fast  to-day  and  their  neighbours  know  nothing 
of  it,  but  their  fast  is  known  to  God  and  to  themselves  ;  just 
so  is  their  prayer  in  secret,  as  Christ  has  taught  us."  The 
answer  I  always  received  was  :  "  You  are  true  persons  ;  your 
religion  is  superior  to  ours."  But  be  it  remembered,  this  ac- 
knowledgment is  made  by  the  people,  who  only  follow  as  they 
are  led,  and  who  embrace  Mohammedanism  because  it  is 
superior  to  the  reUgion  of  the  heathen  ;  but  from  those  who 
profess  to  be  leaders  and  teachers  of  that  rehgion  we  cannot 
expect  such  a  ready  acknowledgment,  but  rather  opposite. 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  171 

Several  events,  incidental  to  travellers,  occurred 
to  Crowther  at  this  time,  such  as  the  discovery  of 
a  huge  snake  among  the  meal  bags  in  the  tent ;  a 
visit  one  dark  night  from  a  leopard,  attracted  by 
some  young  goats  which,  disappearing  without  touching 
them,  came  back  again  in  the  morning,  and  sprang 
upon  one  of  the  best  milch  goats.  Every  native 
seemed  anxious  at  these  times  of  danger  to  show  a 
clean  pair  of  heels,  and  as  the  party  was  destitute  of 
firearms,  it  was  only  the  shouting  and  general  uproar 
of  the  camp  which  frightened  the  creature  away, 
and  saved  their  lives.  Sickness  began  to  make  its 
appearance  ;  the  good  health  for  which  Crowther 
had  been  so  thankful  was  no  longer  the  rule,  and  Mr. 
Howard,  the  good  purser,  who  had  so  deftly  prepared 
the  Christmas  pudding,  died  after  a  few  days  of 
dysentery,  much  to  the  special  grief  of  Crowther,  who 
had  an  affection  for  him. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  only  enemies  of  the 
proposed  mission  were  the  slave  dealers,  and  these 
circulated  false  reports  of  the  aims  and  conduct  of  the 
white  men,  doing  their  utmost  to  poison  the  minds 
of  the  kings  and  chiefs  against  them.  Crowther  had 
at  one  time,  as  a  consequence  of  this,  the  greatest 
difficulty  in  dealing  with  the  chief  eunuch  of  the  King 
N'deshi,  who  had  fomented  a  strife  about  the  building 
of  the  mission  huts,  and  all  these  questions,  especially 
relating  to  the  holding  of  land,  Crowther  realized 
must  be  settled  before  he  left,  or  it  would  entail 
endless  trouble  on  the  mission  afterwards.  The 
condition   of  the  native   women   enlisted  his  sincere 


172  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

sympathy.  They  were  the  most  industrious  part  of 
the  population,  but  had  to  suffer  most,  as  well  as  work 
the  hardest.  The  picture  he  gives  of  their  position, 
and  the  curious  system  they  have  of  pawning  their 
children  to  escape  slavery,  is  worth  quoting  from  his 
journal : 

A  great  deal  of  labour  is  entailed  on  the  women  ;  on  them 
solely  devolves  the  care  of  the  children,  to  feed  and  clothe 
from  childhood  until  they  are  able  to  render  their  mothers  a 
little  assistance  if  they  are  females,  or  if  they  are  boys,  till 
the  fathers  claim  their  help  in  the  farms  if  they  be  farmers. 
With  such  a  charge  upon  them,  without  help,  having  to  labour 
hard  in  bearing  burdens — for  they  are  the  chief  carriers  of 
loads,  grinding  corn  upon  the  millstones  many  times  till  late 
hours  of  the  night,  beguiling  the  tedious  labour  by  their  mill 
with  songs,  which  labour  is  resumed  at  an  early  hour  of  the 
morning,  preparing  the  flour  into  meal,  retaiUng  the  same  in 
the  market,  or  hawking  it  about  the  town  from  house  to  house, 
and  providing  their  husbands  with  provision  from  it — it  is  no 
wonder  that  they  are  soon  worn  out,  and  a  female  of  thirty 
years  has  an  appearance  of  forty.  The  most  distressing  part 
of  the  whole  is  that  in  time  of  war,  when  these  poor  women 
are  unfortunate  enough  not  only  to  lose  their  own  liberty, 
but  also  that  of  their  children,  the  additional  care  of  procuring 
a  ransom  for  themselves  and  their  children  adds  tenfold  more 
to  their  already  heavy  burdens.  During  the  war  which  ter- 
minated in  the  subjugation  of  Umoru  thousands  of  families 
had  been  brought  into  slavery  by  it,  which  added  not  a  Uttle 
to  their  painful  toil.  Very  little  is  done  by  the  husband  to 
ransom  so  many  wives  and  children  ;  the  consequence  is 
every  woman  must  see  after  herself  and  her  children  the  best 
way  she  can  to  prevent  their  being  sold  into  foreign  service. 
Hence  they  have  no  other  means  but  to  have  recourse  to  the 
system  of  pawning,  as  it  is  done  in  Yoruba.  One  example 
here  will  suf&ce.  Fatuma,  the  aged  mother  of  our  good  friend 
Dagenna,  the  Galadima  at  Ghebe  at  the  Confluence,  was  met 
here  living  in  the  village  of  Kawura,  about  a  day's  journey 
from  Rabba.  She  had  the  misfortune  to  have  three  nieces 
under  her  care,  who  were  caught  during  the  Umoru  war.  Her 
son  being  afar  oS  at  the  Confluence,  she  had  no  help  ;    there 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  173 

was  no  alternative ;  these  children  were  to  be  sold  northward 
by  way  of  the  desert,  or  westward  down  to  the  coast,  if  they 
were  not  forthwith  ransomed.  In  this  dilemma  she  could  not 
do  otherwise  than  sell  all  she  had  that  was  saleable,  and  then 
have  recourse  to  a  loan  of  cowries  to  make  up  the  amount 
required.  Two  of  the  children  were  put  in  pawn  for  20,000 
cowries  each — their  labour  was  taken  for  the  interest  till  the 
principal  could  be  paid — and  she  herself  was  pawned  for 
another  20,000,  for  which  she  had  to  pay  the  interest  of  30 
cowries  a  day,  making  210  cowries  per  week.  Since  we  had 
been  cast  up  here  she  had  been  actively  at  work,  selling  yams, 
rice,  rice  flour,  and  such  articles  as  were  needed,  and  by  small 
helps  from  us  she  had  almost  cleared  up  her  debts  when  I 
last  saw  her.  We  should  have  been  glad  to  release  her  at  once 
in  consideration  of  the  assistance  we  had  so  many  times  re- 
ceived from  her  son  if  our  means  could  have  admitted  of  so 
doing. 

There  is  something  very  pathetic  about  the  spectacle 
of  this  brave,  good  soul,  not  even  the  mother,  but 
the  loving  aunt  of  these  little  children,  and  one  hopes 
that  her  self-denying  labours  were  not  in  vain,  and 
that  the  ransom  was  fully  paid.  It  is  noteworthy 
also  that  in  a  place  which  the  usurious  Israelite  had 
not  yet  discovered,  his  dark-skinned  representative, 
in  exacting  over  fifty  per  cent  on  mortgage  of  this 
poor  woman,  displayed  considerable  business  instincts. 
But  the  organ  of  acquisitiveness  is  never  wanting  in 
the  children  of  Ham.  Even  so  astute  and  watchful 
a  mind  as  that  of  Crowther  had  all  its  time  taken  up 
in  preventing  abuses  through  the  system  of  giving 
presents.  He  points  out  that  it  is  estabhshed  and 
practised  by  all  throughout  the  country,  and  one 
cannot  interview  a  chief  for  the  first  time  with  any 
prospect  of  success  unless  you  bring  a  present  in  your 
hand.     It  is  this  chiefly  by  which  the  status  and  im- 


174  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

portance  of  the  visitor  are  estimated ;  his  character 
goes  for  little,  but  his  gifts  are  talked  about  and 
valued  everywhere.  And,  on  the  other  hand,  if  they 
give  presents  to  the  visitors,  it  is  in  sure  expectation 
of  a  similar  return  of  the  courtesy.  A  woman  one 
day  brought  Crowther  ten  balls  of  a  country  meal 
called  sondokoria,  in  exchange  for  which  he  gave 
her  a  paper  containing  twenty-five  needles,  which 
she  promptly  returned  with  contempt.  Afterwards, 
however,  finding  the  game  of  bluff  did  not  pay,  she 
repented  and  accepted  the  needles,  asking  pardon, 
and  begging  him  to  accept  the  meal,  as  she  gave  it  him 
as  a  pious  mallam,  as  her  father  was  too. 

At  length,  in  October,  1858,  the  long  looked  for 
rehef  vessel,  the  Sunbeam,  arrived,  and  Crowther, 
with  the  other  members  of  the  party,  were  taken  on 
board.  Before  leaving  the  place  of  his  enforced 
residence  for  two  years,  he  said  farewell  to  the  chiefs, 
and  completed  all  the  arrangements  for  estabHshing 
a  post  of  the  mission  there.  The  time  had  not  been 
lost;  indeed,  he  recognized  the  opportunity  it  had 
given  him  of  gaining  a  knowledge  of  the  natives  which 
he  could  not  have  otherwise  acquired.  Not  a  slight 
advantage  was  his  proficiency  in  their  language, 
and  the  influence  his  name  now  possessed  at  a  spot 
where  the  caravans  crossed  to  and  fro.  On  his  way 
down  the  river  Crowther  stopped  at  Onitsha,  and  did 
not  return  to  the  coast.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Taylor 
had  been  working  hard  with  marked  success.  He  took 
Crowther  to  the  mission  stations,  introduced  him  to 
the  converts,   and  related  what   wonderful  victories 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  175 

had  been  won  at  Onitsha.  Many  of  his  stories  were 
full  of  encouragement.  There  had  been  a  real  spirit 
of  inquiry  manifested.  Obi  Ij'oma,  one  of  the  chief 
men,  in  the  course  of  a  religious  conversation  was 
asked  if  he  had  a  soul.  "  Yes,"  was  his  reply.  "  But 
how  is  that  soul  to  be  saved  ?  "  "I  do  not  know," 
was  the  sad  answer.  Then  the  way  of  salvation  was 
pointed  out  to  this  poor  dark  mind.  With  a  bright 
light  in  his  eyes  he  exclaimed,  "/^sw  Opara  Tshuku 
Tun  uzo  oma?"  "Jesus,  Son  of  God,  show  me  the 
good  way  ?  " 

Sometimes,  however,  they  betrayed  great  caution, 
and  made  many  curious  comments  upon  the  new 
teaching.  At  morning  service  one  of  the  chiefs  was 
present,  and  after  a  closing  ejaculatory  petition,  the 
minister  asked  what  he  thought  of  it  all.  The  old 
half-enlightened  heathen  gave  answer  in  an  idiom: 
"  Okuko  ohunru  ohia  na  ata  ona  uku  na  ala  ona  na 
me  wayo  cle  udo  sia."'  The  interpretation  of  which 
is  as  follows  :  "A  new  fowl  when  brought  into  the 
yard  walks  gently  and  looks  steadily  on  the  old  ones, 
to  see  what  they  do."  So  the  ministers  and  teachers, 
being  experienced  and  mature  in  Christianity,  are 
"  the  old  ones  "  ;  but  they  being  the  new  fowls,  brought 
into  the  garden  of  Christianity,  must  necessarily 
walk  gently  and  look  steadily  at  their  walk  and  con- 
versation. Often  in  the  market  place  one  thousand 
people  would  listen  to  the  good  tidings  of  the  new 
religion.  Mr.  Taylor  had  found  the  use  of  the  Ibo 
tongue  a  great  attraction  in  his  services.  On  one 
occasion,  while  speaking  of  the  folly  of   idol-making 


176  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

and  the  superstitious  rites  of  fetishism  as  compared 
with  the  truths  of  Christianity,  a  spirit  of  genuine 
conviction  seemed  to  possess  the  hearts  of  the  hearers, 
and  they  confessed  that  they  felt  the  power  of  those 
words,  "  DeHver  me,  for  Thou  art  my  God."  Their 
black  faces  underwent  an  extraordinary  change, 
beaming  with  delight  and  satisfaction,  and  they  seemed 
quite  carried  away  with  the  glad  tidings.  It  brought 
to  mind  the  prophetic  words  of  Crowther's  friend, 
good  Bishop  Vidal,  who  said  :  "  The  time  will  come 
when  Tshuku  (the  gods)  of  Abo  and  the  Ibos  in  general 
wiU  fall  down  before  the  Gospel  as  Dagon  fell  before 
the  ark.  Their  multifarious  shrines  shall  give  way 
for  the  full  liberation  and  introduction  of  the  Gospel 
to  their  forlorn,  degraded,  long-bewitched,  but  ran- 
somed people  of  God." 

On  Advent  Sunday  Mr.  Taylor  preached  in  the 
King's  quarters  on  the  goodness  of  God  in  sending  His 
only  Son  into  the  world,  and  illustrated  his  text  by 
speaking  of  the  capsized  canoe  on  the  river,  and  how 
readily  the  King  would  throw  a  cable  to  save  his 
people's  lives.  Such  an  act  would  be  what  is  called 
salvation.  The  world  was  in  peril,  and  God  sent  His 
Son  to  save  it,  and  only  through  Him  can  we  have 
life.  The  old  King  listened  with  rapt  attention, 
and  then  quietly  rose  with  deep  feeling,  and  lifting 
his  hands  and  his  eyes  to  heaven,  slowly  repeated 
these  words  :  "  Opara  Tshuku  hiko  napu  ga'm,  Opara 
Tshuku  hiko  napu  ayi  nile.^^  "  Son  of  God,  save  me  ; 
Son  of  God,  save  us  all." 

After   a   short   stay   at   Onitsha   Crowther   started 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  177 

back  to  the  Confluence  in  a  native  canoe,  with  a  crew 
which  he  found  difficult  to  manage,  sometimes  threaten- 
ing him  for  more  passage  money,  and  it  was  a 
relief  when  after  these  complications  he  reached  Idda. 
Here  he  found  his  old  friend  Ghemodina  ill,  and 
Olumene,  the  owner  of  the  canoe,  took  the  oppor- 
tunity of  begging  for  almost  everything  he  could 
lay  his  hands  on.  Finding,  however,  that  Crowther's 
means  and  intentions  gave  him  no  hope,  he  begged 
for  something  as  a  charm  to  make  people  fear  and 
respect  him.  He  was  told  that  Christians  never 
made  such  things,  but  trusted  in  God,  and  prayed 
to  Him  morning  and  evening  to  preserve  them. 
Crowther  eventually  gave  him  a  small  piece  of  Windsor 
soap,  with  which  he  was  highly  pleased,  and  possibly 
at  some  future  time  this  unknown  toilet  requisite 
would  be  displayed  to  the  admiration  of  his  friends, 
if  not  their  adoration  too. 

This  little  voyage  to  Rabbah  was  quite  an  eventful 
one,  and  occasionally  really  dangerous,  and  Crowther's 
tact  and  courage  stood  him  in  good  stead.  With 
most  grateful  feehngs  he  at  last  found  himself  enjoying 
the  shade  and  comfort  of  the  mission  huts  at  that 
place.  Sumo  Zaki  was  reputed  dead  ;  Dasaba  was 
now  King  of  Nupe,  and  was  fighting  for  his  throne 
against  the  Gbari.  After  a  brief  rest  Crowther  started 
for  an  overland  expedition  on  foot  from  Rabbah  to 
Abeokuta.  He  was  ill  with  dysentery  to  begin  with  ; 
this  he  attributes  to  the  long  exposure  and  constant 
worry  in  the  open  canoe  on  the  journey  to  Rabbah. 
But   he   pushed   on,    nothing   daunted,    and   reached 


178  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

Ilorin,  where  the  King  and  chief  mallam  cordially 
welcomed  him.  And  at  a  large  public  meeting  he 
was  requested  to  address  them  on  the  all-important 
subject  of  Christ  being  the  Son  of  God,  leaving  them 
afterwards  with  kind  expressions  of  God's  peace  and 
blessing  to  rest  on  him.  At  last,  after  a  weary  and 
protracted  journey,  he  came  in  sight  of  Abeokuta, 
and  was  there  welcomed  by  the  Bishop  and  Dr. 
Baikie,  who  had  just  arrived  from  Lagos.  He  ex- 
presses his  heartfelt  feelings  in  these  words  : 

I  was  thankful  to  meet  all  the  members  of  the  mission, 
tolerable  in  health,  and  the  work  of  God  prospering  in  their 
hands.  Many  new  faces  were  seen  among  our  old  communi- 
cants and  candidates  who  came  to  salute  me  on  my  arrival ; 
these  have  since  my  absence  been  gathered  from  the  scat- 
tered sheep  among  the  thousands  who  are  yet  wandering  from 
the  fold  of  God.  I  hope  and  trust  many  more  yet  will  hear 
the  call  of  Christ  through  His  faithful  servants  by  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel.  .  .  .  My  hearty  prayer  is  that  not  only  at 
Abeokuta,  but  in  all  other  places  where  we  have  been  per- 
mitted to  have  stations,  obstacles  may  be  removed  out  of  the 
way,  that  many  who  are  at  present  ready  to  join  the  Church, 
but  kept  back  through  the  fear  of  man  or  through  the  in- 
fluence of  sin,  may  be  released  from  their  bondage,  hear  the 
call  of  Christ,  and  join  His  Church. 

He  could,  however,  only  spend  a  short  refreshing 
time  with  his  friends  here,  for  he  soon  made  his  way 
to  Lagos,  after  being  absent  from  his  wife  and  family 
for  two  years  and  a  half.  He  did  not  stay  very  long, 
however,  for  in  the  summer  of  1859  he  was  going  up 
the  Niger  again  on  board  the  Rainbow,  but  suffered 
a  great  disappointment  on  finding  the  passage  stopped 
at  the  Confluence,  a  message  having  been  sent  down 
by    Dr.    Baikie   that   no   missionary   work   could   be 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  179 

undertaken  at  present.  There  was,  therefore,  no 
help  for  it  but  to  return  to  the  coast.  On  its  way 
back  the  Rainbow  was  fired  on  by  some  natives  at 
the  Delta,  and  two  men  on  board  were  killed.  This 
unfortunate  incident  closed  the  Niger  for  two  years, 
and  during  this  long  period  of  seclusion  the  native 
workers  at  the  various  mission  stations  which  Crowther 
had  established  were  left  to  themselves.  He  stayed 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Nun  for  a  long  time,  waiting  in 
vain  for  the  gunboat  which  was  to  be  sent  by  the 
English  Government  to  punish  the  villages.  Early 
in  the  year  1861,  through  the  lamented  death  of 
Mr.  Laird,  the  pioneer  of  West  African  trade,  the 
various  factories  on  the  Niger  were  closed,  and  no 
more  vessels  were  sent  for  commercial  purposes ; 
and  it  was  not  until  July  of  the  same  year  that  H.M.S. 
Espoir  entered  the  river  and  destroyed  the  places 
from  which  the  firing  had  come.  Crowther  was  on 
board  this  vessel,  and  took  with  him  two  fresh  native 
helpers  to  replace  some  on  the  Niger.  A  fresh  mission 
station  was  opened  at  Akassa,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Nun  river,  and  during  the  following  winter  he  pre- 
pared a  large  party  of  thirty-three  native  teachers, 
with  their  wives  and  children,  for  the  Niger.  These, 
slightly  reduced  in  numbers,  were  taken  on  board 
another  gunboat,  H.M.S.  Investigator,  which  reached 
Onitsha  on  5  September,  1862.  Here,  however, 
Crowther  was  not  permitted  to  land,  as  the  vessel 
proceeded  up  river  in  a  few  hours,  much  to  his  dis- 
appointment that  he  could  not  visit  the  mission 
station  and  see  the  people  from  whom  he  had  been 


i8o  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

separated  so  long.  When  he  reached  the  Confluence 
he  went  ashore  at  Ghebe.  It  was  a  memorable  morn- 
ing when  the  Christian  converts  and  heathen  gathered 
in  the  mission  chuich  to  meet  the  kind  and  faithful 
minister  who  had  firs'"  spoken  to  them  of  the  Christian 
faith,  and  now  met  them  with  thankfulness  as  the 
firstfruits  of  his  labours.  This  chapter  will  close 
with  his  own  account  of  this  remarkable  scene,  which 
naturally  meant  so  much  to  him  after  so  many  trials 
and  disappointments  : 

Sept.  14,  1862.  This  day  at  the  morning  service,  though 
with  fear  and  trembhng,  yet  by  faith  in  Christ,  the  great  Head 
of  the  Church,  who  has  commanded,  "  Go  ye  therefore,  and 
teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  I  took  courage  and 
baptized  eight  adults  and  one  infant  in  our  new  chapel  in  the 
presence  of  a  congregation  of  one  hundred  and  ninety-two 
persons,  who  all  sat  still  with  their  mouths  open  in  wonder 
and  amazement  at  the  initiation  of  some  of  their  friends  and 
companions  into  a  new  religion  by  a  singular  rite,  the  form 
in  the  name  of  the  Trinity  being  translated  in  Nupe  and  dis- 
tinctly pronounced  as  each  candidate  knelt.  These  nine  per- 
sons are  the  first-fruits  of  the  Niger  Mission.  Is  not  this  a 
token  from  the  Lord  to  the  Society  to  persevere  in  their 
arduous  work  to  introduce  Christianity  among  the  black 
population  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger,  and  that  they  shall  reap 
in  due  time  if  they  faint  not  ?  More  so  when  the  few  baptized 
persons  represent  several  tribes  of  large  tracts  of  countries  on 
the  banks  of  the  Niger,  Tshadda,  Igaru,  Igbira,^Gbari,  Eki, 
or  Bann,  and  even  a  scattered  Yoruba  was  amongst  them.  Is 
not  this  an  anticipation  of  the  immense  fields  opened  to  the 
Church  to  occupy  for  Christ  ? 

The  newly-founded  mission  was,  however,  destined 
to  pass  through  more  trials,  largely  owing  to  the 
instability  of  authority  vested  in  the  ruling  powers 
in  native  towns.     As  a  king  or  superior  chief  exercises 


THE  MISSION  PLANTED  i8i 

autocratic  sway,  it  rarely  follows  that  on  his  decease 
the  same  favour  which  he  showed  to  the  mission  can 
be  counted  on  from  his  successors.  Crowther  had 
always  been  successful  in  winning  the  confidence  of 
these  native  potentates.  He  always  made  a  point 
of  impressing  upon  them  that  the  visit  of  the  Christian 
missionary  was  not  with  warhke  intent,  or  from  any 
desire  to  forcibly  appropriate  territory,  but  simply 
to  teach  them  the  truths  of  Christianity,  and  to  en- 
courage them,  for  their  own  advantage,  to  engage 
in  trading  relations  with  the  world  outside. 

As  an  instance  of  this,  while  Crowther  was  staying 
at  Ghebe  one  of  the  messengers  of  King  Masaba, 
who  seems  to  have  cherished  suspicions  of  the  peaceful 
intentions  of  the  mission,  was  entertained  by  Crowther 
at  the  mission  station,  and  was  taken  round  the 
premises,  shown  the  schoolroom,  the  cotton  gins, 
and  the  press  and  bales  which  were  produced  out  of  it, 
greatly  to  the  astonishment  of  the  visitors. 

I  asked  him  (writes  Crowther)  to  deliver  this  message  to 
the  King,  that  we  are  Anasara ;  there,  pointing  to  the  school- 
room, we  teach  the  Christian  religion  ;  pointing  to  the  cotton 
gin,  I  said  this  is  our  gun  ;  and  to  the  clean  cotton  pu£6ng 
out  of  it,  that  is  our  powder  ;  and  I  said  the  cowries  which 
are  the  proceeds  of  the  operation  are  the  shots  which  England, 
the  warmest  friend  of  Africa,  earnestly  desires  she  should 
receive  largely.  The  King  was  to  Judge  from  the  messenger, 
who  had  seen  of  our  proceeding  here,  whether  the  efforts  of 
England  were  injurious  to  the  prosperity  of  a  nation  or  favour 
able  to  its  peace  and  welfare. 

To  prove  what  an  excellent  impression  was  made 
by  this  tactful  treatment  of  the  position,  it  may 
be  added  that  when  Ama  Abokko,  the  King  of  Ghebe, 


i82  THE  MISSION  PLANTED 

was  on  his  deathbed,  and  was  giving  charge  to  his 
head  chiefs  about  his  children  and  the  government 
of  the  town  after  his  death,  until  a  successor  should 
be  elected,  he  did  not  forget  Crowther  and  his  fellow- 
helpers  in  the  mission,  saying,  "  Suffer  nothing  to 
harm  Oibos ;  they  are  my  strangers."  But  unfor- 
tunately, when  he  had  gone  the  country  was  thrown 
into  confusion  and  anarchy,  and  in  the  midst  of  these 
revolutions  the  mission  premises  were  entirely  de- 
stroyed, and  the  Confluence  station  had  to  be  re- 
moved to  Lokoja. 


CHAPTER    VI 

CONSECRATION   AND   AFTER 

THE  work  on  the  Niger  had  now  reached  a  point 
when  it  became  absolutely  necessary  that  some 
steps  should  be  taken  to  ensure  its  consohdation 
and  thorough  supervision.  Amid  many  hindrances 
and  delays  through  the  uncertainty  of  ships  going 
up  and  down  the  Niger,  and  in  spite  of  occasional 
hostihty  from  native  kings,  the  mission  had  obtained 
a  permanent  hold  upon  the  country  ;  but  experience 
had  shown  that  the  cUmate  was  still  a  deadly  barrier 
to  European  missionaries.  At  that  time  the  origin 
and  conditions  of  the  malarial  fever  were  not  so 
accurately  known  as  they  are  to-day,  and  this  was 
a  point  of  importance  in  determining  the  future 
support  of  the  work  by  Enghshmen  in  West  Africa. 
But  altogether  apart  from  this  consideration,  the 
advantage  of  utilizing  the  native  quahties  of  grace 
and  ability  was  clearly  demonstrated.  Crowther's 
fond  idea  of  Africa  for  the  African  as  regards  the 
foundation  of  a  native  Church  seemed  within  sight 
of  realization.  In  an  important  and  ably  written 
article  which    appeared    in   the  "Church    Missionary 

183 


i84  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

Intelligencer"  in  May,  1864,  the  position  was  clearly 
defined,  and  shows  the  steps  which  were  leading  up 
to  the  new  departure  of  creating  a  native  Bishopric 
in  West  Africa.  The  writer,  who  evidently  discusses 
the  question  from  an  official  and  authoritative  stand- 
point, after  adverting  to  the  evils  of  the  slave  trade 
and  the  grave  dangers  of  the  climate  in  West  Africa, 
says  : 

But  these  difficulties  have  been,  in  a  great  measure,  over- 
come ;  the  power  of  the  slave  trade  is  broken,  and  although 
it  still  lives,  yet,  like  a  venomous  serpent  which  has  received 
a  mortal  injury,  it  is  in  its  death  throes.  The  insalubrity  of 
the  climate  no  longer  presents  the  same  hindrance  that  it 
used  to  do  to  the  progress  of  missions,  and  that  because  the 
European  missionary  is  no  longer  alone  in  the  work.  A  native 
Church  has  been  raised  up  on  the  peninsula  of  Sierra  Leone, 
with  its  well-ordered  congregations  and  its  native  ministers 
effectively  discharging  the  high  responsibilities  imposed  on 
them.  This  native  Church,  in  a  great  measure  self-supporting 
and  self-ministering,  is  now  girding  itself  up  to  enter  upon  its 
duties  as  a  missionary  church  and  send  forth  its  evangelists 
into  the  heathen  and  Mohammedan  countries  which  lie 
around  it.  Already  the  African  Christian  has  been  tried  in 
this  service.  He  has  shown  himself  not  only  capable  of  under- 
standing and  receiving  the  truth  of  Christianity,  but  of  com- 
municating it  to  his  fellow-countrymen.  On  him  the  African 
climate  exercises  no  malign  influences,  to  him  the  languages 
of  Africa  present  no  impediment.  Although  few  in  number, 
compared  with  the  multitudinous  inhabitants  of  that  great 
continent,  yet  the  first-fruits  of  Africa  to  Christianity  is  in  a 
remarkable  degree  multilingual,  and  thus  the  services  of  a 
large  proportion  of  the  tongues  of  Africa  are  clearly  placed  at 
the  disposal  and  are  ready  to  be  engaged  in  the  service  of 
Christianity. 

The  opportune  moment  thus  appears  to  have  arrived  when 
the  native  Church  should  be  still  further  empowered  to  go 
forth  and  with  a  holy  freedom  do  the  Lord's  work  in  Africa, 
and  as  the  native  Christian  has  been  raised  to  the  ministry 
so  the  native  ministry  be  permitted  to  culminate  in  a  native 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  185 

episcopate.  The  question  is,  can  one  among  the  African 
clergymen  be  found  to  whom  so  great  a  responsibiUty  can 
with  safety  be  trusted  ?  and  this  question  the  Church  Mission- 
ary Society  has  ventured  to  answer  in  the  affirmative.  Nearly 
twenty-one  years  have  elapsed  since  the  Rev.  Samuel  Crowther 
was  ordained  a  deacon  by  the  late  Bishop  of  London.  The 
Lord  has  given  him  grace  during  the  period  which  has  since 
elapsed  to  continue  humble,  consistent,  and  useful.  He  has 
made  full  proof  of  his  ministry.  The  new  missions  on  the 
Niger  imperatively  require  episcopal  superintendence.  They 
are  so  remote  from  the  Bishop  of  Sierra  Leone  as  to  be  placed 
entirely  beyond  his  reach.  The  native  catechists  who  have 
been  instrumental  in  raising  up  congregations  at  Onitsha  and 
Ghebe  require  prompt  admission  to  Holy  Orders,  that  they 
may  duly  minister  to  their  flocks  and,  as  well  by  the  teaching 
of  God's  Word  as  by  the  due  administration  of  the  Sacraments, 
promote  their  growth.  Our  Christians  on  the  banks  of  the 
Niger  need  to  be  as  quickly  as  possible  brought  forward  into 
activity  and  be  utilized  in  missionary  effort  among  their 
countrymen.  To  delay  any  longer  the  native  episcopate  would 
be  unduly  to  retard  the  development  of  the  native  Church. 

These  words  will  sufficiently  indicate  why  a  bishop 
was  wanted  on  the  Niger,  and  that  Crowther  must 
be  the  man  called  to  fill  that  office.  They  are  also 
an  indication,  one  had  almost  said  a  vindication,  not 
only  of  the  capacity  of  the  negro  for  full  orders  as  a 
missionary  clergyman,  but  of  the  success  which  had 
already  attended  his  labours  among  his  own  people. 
Whatever  trying  vicissitudes  the  work  might  after- 
wards be  called  to  suffer,  the  foundation  of  the  native 
Church  had  by  Crowther's  earnest  endeavour  been 
well  and  truly  made.  Pioneers,  like  inventors,  often 
miss  the  historical  credit  of  their  labours,  and  the 
man  who  cleared  the  ground  and  spread  the  base 
secure  is  generally  forgotten  in  the  acclaim  when 
the  flag  flies  over  the  completed  structure.    Crowther 


i86  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

was  being  called  to  a  diocese  which  he  had  himself 
created.  He  introduced  by  his  discoveries  these 
places  in  his  country  which  have  since  become  such 
familiar  names  in  the  missionary  field.  He  had 
done  more.  He  had  in  a  quiet,  unostentatious, 
and  yet  unmistakable  way  proved  in  himself  the 
latent  qualities  and  capacities  of  the  African,  and,  in 
a  lesser  degree,  it  was  also  demonstrated  in  the  native 
agents  he  employed  at  his  stations.  Therefore  the 
selection  of  such  a  man  to  the  highest  honour  the 
Church  can  bestow  was  amply  deserved  and  appre- 
ciated, both  in  Africa  and  England.  It  was  the  cul- 
mination of  a  unique  career. 

The  grey  old  cathedral  at  Canterbury  has  witnessed 
many  wonderful  events,  but  St.  Peter's  Day,  29  June, 
1864,  will  rank  as  a  red-letter  day  in  its  annals.  There 
are  those  living  who  have  interesting  memories  of 
that  scene  three-and-forty  years  ago.  It  was  no 
ordinary  occasion.  Special  trains  were  run  from 
London  and  elsewhere,  and  as  early  as  eight  o'clock 
an  unusual  crowd  were  present  at  morning  prayer. 
The  cathedral  never  looked  more  beautiful,  bathed 
in  summer  sunshine,  a  bright  augury  of  the  new 
epoch  in  missionary  polity  and  enterprise.  Among 
the  thousands  filling  those  seats  with  expectant 
faces  were  many  friends  of  Crowther,  but  we  will 
only  notice  two  who  had  a  special  interest  in  the 
service.  One  in  naval  uniform  is  Admiral  Sir  H. 
Leeke,  who  was  the  young  captain  on  board  H.M.S. 
Myrmidon  to  first  take  in  his  hands  the  httle  rescued 
slave  boy,   palpitating  with  fear  and  wonder,   from 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  187 

the  captured  slaver  off  the  coast  of  Lagos.  This 
boy,  who  was  soon  to  be  consecrated  as  Bishop, 
had  never  lost  sight  of  his  friend,  who  now,  with 
many  thankful  memories,  forms  one  of  the  congre- 
gation. 

An  elderly  lady  slowly  makes  her  way  to  a  front 
seat,  where  she  might  easily  see  and  hear  ;  but  one 
of  the  churchwardens  reminds  her  that  this  place 
is  reserved  for  a  distinguished  lady  who  had  a  ticket. 
She  turns  round  and  quietly  says  in  answer  :  "  I  think 
I  have  a  right  equally  to  this  seat,  because  that  black 
minister  to  be  consecrated  Bishop  this  morning  was 
taught  the  alphabet  by  me."  The  Dean  and  the 
lady  referred  to,  hearing  this,  at  once  begged  the  visitor 
to  retain  her  seat.  She  was  the  widow  of  Bishop 
Weeks,  of  Sierra  Leone. 

When  the  Archbishop  and  other  prelates  had 
taken  their  places,  the  Bishop  of  Lincoln  read  the 
Epistle  and  the  Bishop  of  Winchester  the  Gospel, 
and  the  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  H.  Longue- 
ville  Mansel,  Professor  of  Philosophy  at  Oxford, 
from  I  Peter  v.  2,  3,  on  being  "  ensamples  to  the  flock." 
Then  the  choir,  with  those  exquisite  boyish  trebles, 
sang  Mendelssohn's  "  How  lovely  are  the  messengers," 
while  the  two  Bishops-elect  walked  to  the  vestry  to 
put  on  their  rochets,  and  on  their  return,  among  the 
others,  was  this  letter  patent  read  : 

"  We  do  by  this  our  licence,  under  our  Royal  signet 
and  sign  manual,  authorize  and  empower  you,  the 
said  Samuel  Adjai  Crowther,  to  be  Bishop  of  the 
United  Church  of  England  and  Ireland,  in  the  said 


i88  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

countries    of   Western   Africa   beyond   the   limits   of 
our  dominions." 

It  had  been  arranged  that  Crowther  should  be  led 
up  to  the  Communion  Table  by  the  two  Colonial 
Bishops  present,  but  the  Bishop  of  Winchester, 
with  kindly  thoughtfuhiess,  stepped  forward,  and 
waving  aside  Bishop  Nixon,  took  his  place  beside 
Crowther,  so  that  on  such  an  occasion  a  double  honour 
should  be  rendered  to  the  African  prelate,  and  he 
walked  up  with  him  to  introduce  him  to  the  Arch- 
bishop. Such  a  graceful  act  was  noticed  by  many 
present  at  the  service.  At  this  point  the  choir  again 
sang  Wise's  anthem,  "  Prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord," 
and  while  the  Bishops-elect  were  kneeling  with  bowed 
heads,  the  "  Veni  Creator  Spiritus  "  was  beautifully 
sung  to  Tallis'  music.  Then,  with  hands  outstretched, 
the  Archbishop,  in  a  clear  voice,  gave  the  apostolic 
charge  :  "  Remember  that  thou  stir  up  the  grace 
of  God  which  is  given  thee  by  this  imposition  of  our 
hands,  for  God  hath  not  given  us  the  spirit  of  fear, 
but  of  power  and  love  and  soberness."  At  this 
solemn  moment  Crowther  took  from  the  hand  of 
the  Archbishop  his  consecration  Bible,  with  the 
words  :  "  Take  heed  unto  thyself,  and  to  doctrine, 
and  be  dihgent  in  doing  them  :  for  by  so  doing  them 
thou  shalt  both  save  thyself  and  them  that  hear  thee. 
Be  to  the  flock  of  Christ  a  shepherd,  not  a  wolf  ; 
feed  them,  devour  them  not.  Hold  up  the  weak, 
heal  the  sick,  bind  up  the  broken,  bring  again  the 
outcasts,  seek  the  lost.  Be  so  merciful,  that  you  be 
not  too  remiss  ;   so  minister  discipline,  that  you  forget 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  189 

not  mercy  :  that  when  the  Chief  Sheplierd  shall 
appear  you  may  receive  the  never-fading  crown  of 
glory  ;   through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord." 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  consecration  service  the 
new  Bishops  took  their  places  within  the  altar  rails, 
and  the  Communion  Service,  to  which  a  great  number 
of  the  congregation  stayed,  concluded  this  impressive 
event.  The  crowd  melted  away,  and  the  cathedral 
grew  empty  again,  but  this  crowning  incident  in  the 
life  of  Bishop  Crowther  would  never  be  forgotten. 
Throughout  all  this  solemn  function,  the  impressive 
prayers,  the  pealing  music,  the  cadence  of  the  singing, 
the  hush  of  the  consecration  vow,  and  the  moment 
of  sweet  communion,  the  heart  of  this  man  turned 
to  Africa,  his  own  dear  land,  and  the  little  flock  of 
his  black  brethren,  and  beyond  that  larger  multitude 
in  spiritual  fetters  for  whom  Christ  died. 

This  public  event  was  commented  on  by  the  Press 
as  a  good  and  promising  step  in  the  right  direction  ; 
a  few  thoughtful  sentences  from  a  leading  article 
in  the  "  Record  "  will  sufificiently  represent  this  : 

We  might  dwell  on  the  practical  refutation  afforded  by 
Dr.  Crowther's  merited  elevation  to  the  episcopate  to  the 
taunts  of  certain  professors  who  maintain  that  the  cerebral 
development  of  the  negro  shows  that  he  is  disqualified  for 
intellectual  pursuits,  and  that  he  cannot  be  lifted  out  of  his 
congenital  dullness  ;  but  we  pass  on  to  entreat  the  prayers  of 
our  readers  for  him  and  his  diocese.  He  will  need  much 
wisdom,  peculiar  grace,  and  constant  strength.  Humanly 
speaking,  the  future  of  the  native  Church  depends  on  the 
manner  in  which  its  first  Bishop  shall  administer  its  polity 
and  organize  its  laws.  It  will  be  necessary  also  for  him  to 
exercise  great  discrimination  in  conferring  Holy  Orders  on 
his  brethren,  and  to  take  heed  that  he  magnifies  his  office  in 


igo  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

the  estimation  of  all  by  the  exemplary  consistency  of  his  Ufe 
and  the  holiness  of  his  conversation.  That  he  will  do  so  we 
are  assured  of  past  experience,  but  the  slightest  consideration 
proves  how  much  he  needs  to  be  supported  by  the  sympathy 
and  prayers  of  the  Church. 

The  new  Bishop,  amid  many  congratulations  from 
friends,  lost  no  time  in  getting  to  his  field  of  labour 
again.  On  24  July  he  left  England,  and  arrived  at 
Sierra  Leone  on  10  August,  where  he  met  with  a 
most  enthusiastic  welcome.  When  the  Macgregor 
Laird  reached  the  harbour  of  Freetown  crowds  were 
waiting  to  witness  the  wonderful  spectacle  of  a  liberated 
African,  an  Aku  man,  the  trophy  of  missionary  teaching 
at  Sierra  Leone,  coming  as  Bishop  back  to  their  shores. 
There  was  no  lavish  display  of  bunting  or  roar  of 
cannon ;  the  delighted  faces  of  his  own  people,  and 
the  chorus  of  "  God  bless  you,"  which  met  him  every- 
where, were  to  Bishop  Crowther  more  than  enough. 

After  a  day's  rest  he  was  escorted  to  Fourah  Bay 
College,  where  all  the  clergy,  catechists,  and  school- 
masters had  assembled  in  one  of  the  lecture-rooms 
to  give  him  a  joyous  reception,  and  express  their 
congratulations.  Two  addresses  were  signed  and 
duly  handed  to  him  amid  applause,  one  by  the  whole 
body  of  the  Church  Missionary  agents  and  native 
pastors,  the  other  by  the  authorities  of  the  College, 
upon  whose  history  he  had  shed  such  lustre  by  his 
name.  The  first,  which  bore  over  thirty-six  signatures, 
was  full  of  brotherly  love,  as  the  following  extract 
will  testify  : 

We  regard  your  consecration  as  a  token  of  God's  favour 
to  the  Church  in  Africa,  and  would  unfeignedly  rejoice  with 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  191 

you  in  this  mark  of  His  distinguishing  love,  believing  it,  as 
we  do,  to  be  an  earnest  of  richer  blessings  which  are  yet  in 
store.  In  reviewing  your  whole  past  career  in  this  colony, 
and  subsequently  at  Abeokuta  and  the  Niger,  we  thank  God 
for  the  abundant  grace  bestowed  upon  you  and  for  the  mea- 
sure of  success  granted  you  in  your  missionary  work,  and  we 
trust  that  the  same  grace  may  be  vouchsafed  to  guide  and 
comfort,  to  strengthen  and  support  you  through  all  your 
future  course  in  the  high  office  to  which  you  have  been  called. 
It  will  be  a  source  of  comfort  for  you  to  know  that  prayer- 
meetings  were  held  in  every  district  in  the  colony  on  the  day 
of  your  leaving  England  that  God  would  protect  you  from 
the  dangers  of  the  deep,  and  you  may  rest  assured  that  prayer 
will  constantly  ascend,  that  under  your  wise  and  judicious 
culture  the  thorn  and  thistle  may  be  uprooted  and  the  Rose 
of  Sharon  and  the  Lily  of  the  Valley  may  be  seen  along  the 
whole  banks  of  the  Niger.  May  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  rest 
upon  you,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  understanding  making 
you  as  a  chief  pastor  of  the  flock  of  Christ  in  Africa,  of  quick 
understanding  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  so  that  you  will  judge 
not  after  the  sight  of  your  eyes,  nor  reprove  after  the  hearing 
of  your  ears,  but  ruling  and  superintending  all  things  according 
to  truth  and  love. 

During  the  reading  of  this  address  Bishop  Crowther 
was  evidently  under  deep  emotion,  and  when  he  rose 
to  reply  his  voice  thrilled  with  feeling.  He  very 
earnestly  thanked  them  for  all  their  loving  expressions 
towards  him.     Reminding  them  of  old  times,  he  said  : 

When  we  look  back  to  the  commencement  we  find  the 
mission  took  its  beginning  among  a  heterogeneous  mass  of 
people,  brought  together  in  the  providence  of  God  from  many 
tribes  of  this  part  of  Africa,  out  of  whom,  through  the  zealous, 
faithful,  and  persevering  labour  of  the  early  missionaries, 
arose  devout  congregations  of  faithful  and  sincere  Christians. 
After  a  time  the  mission  produced  a  native  ministry,  then  a 
self-supporting  native  pastorate,  and  latterly,  out  of  the 
native  ministry,  an  humble  step  outward  was  taken  in  faith 
to  introduce  a  native  episcopate  in  missions  beyond  Her 
Majesty's  dominions.  Here  we  pause  and  raise  our  Ebenezer 
to  God's  praise.     Hitherto  the  Lord  has  helped  us.  . 


192  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

This  onward  progress  seems  to  be  an  indication  from  God, 
beckoning  to  us  to  come  forward,  put  our  shoulders  to  the 
wheels,  and  ease  our  European  brethren  of  the  great  work 
which  they  have  so  nobly  sustained  alone  from  their  prede- 
cessors for  fifty  years,  many  of  whom  had  sealed  the  testimony 
of  their  zeal  with  their  lives.  Their  graves  at  the  burial 
grounds  are  existing  monuments  of  their  faithful  obedience  to 
their  Master's  command  :    "  Go,  and  teach  all  nations." 

Whether  called  to  their  rest  or  whether  beaten  back  from 
the  fields  of  their  labour  through  ill-health  and  forced  to 
retire,  or  whether  still  labouring  among  us,  it  is  our  bounden 
duty  in  gratitude  to  remember  and  esteem  them  highly  in  love 
for  their  work's  sake,  of  which  we  are  the  fruits. 

We  must  exhibit  a  missionary  spirit  ourselves,  and  en- 
courage it  among  our  congregations,  if  we  are  imitators  of 
missionary  enterprises  ;  if,  like  as  Timothy  knew  Paul,  we 
also  have  known  their  zeal,  we  should  endeavour  to  preach 
the  Gospel  in  the  regions  beyond  the  colony. 

To  extend  our  line  of  usefulness  we  must  seriously  impress 
on  our  Christian  countrymen  the  necessity  of  exhibiting  a 
spirit  of  liberality,  after  the  example  of  the  mother  Church, 
whose  spirit  we  should  imbibe,  not  only  to  support  their  own 
pastors  and  school  teachers,  keeping  in  good  repair  their 
churches  and  other  buildings  made  over  into  their  hands,  but 
also  contribute,  according  to  the  means  God  has  blessed  them 
with,  to  send  the  Gospel  into  countries  beyond  them  which 
are  yet  destitute  of  the  blessings  of  its  light. 

But,  above  all,  we  must  be  followers  of  Christ,  the  Great 
Shepherd  of  His  flock  and  the  example  of  His  apostles,  in  the 
habit  of  prayer  for  help  from  above.  This  is  the  weapon 
which  prevails  most  in  the  work  of  the  ministry.  When  we 
feel  our  weakness  and  insufficiency  for  the  work  to  which  God 
has  called  us,  we  must  constantly  go  to  the  Throne  of  Grace 
for  divine  aid.  We  are  better  fitted  when  we  feel  our  incom- 
petency to  change  a  sinner's  heart.  This  will  drive  us  to 
apply  to  the  Fountain  Head  for  a  quickening  spirit  from  above, 
which  He  has  promised  to  all  who  ask  Him  ;  then  we  shall  be 
encouraged  to  go  on  in  this  our  might.     Has  He  not  sent  us  ? 

It  was  now  the  turn  of  the  College,  and  the  address 
they  presented,  signed  by  principal,  tutors,  and 
students,  was  not  a  whit  behind  in  cordial  appreci- 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  193 

ation  of  the  honour  laid  upon  the  Bishop,  in  which 
they  also  shared.  The  words  are  preserved,  but  it  will 
be  enough  to  make  a  brief  extract  from  the  greeting 
of  his  Alma  Mater  : 

We  thank  God  for  the  grace  bestowed  upon  you,  enabUng 
you  to  labour  so  faithfully  for  the  past  thirty-five  years  in  His 
service.  This  Institution  at  one  time  enjoyed  the  benefit  of 
your  instruction,  but  of  late  years  the  Yoruba  and  the  Niger 
missions  have  been  the  fields  in  which  you  have  laboured. 
Notwithstanding  this,  we  have  not  been  unmindful  of  you  ; 
your  name  has  been  familiar  as  a  "  household  word  "  among 
us,  and  you  have  ever  been  held  up  as  an  example  to  our 
youth. 

When  he  got  up  to  reply  he  was  received  with 
that  boisterous  applause  which  is  the  peculiar  at- 
tribute of  old  college  4^comrades.  When  quiet  was 
restored  the  Bishop  excused  himself  from  any  set 
speech,  seeing  that  since  he  landed  every  moment 
had  been  taken  up  with  pressing  engagements.  But 
he  naturally  grew  reminiscent,  and  urged  them  to 
avoid  that  spirit  of  worldhness  and  self-interest 
which  had  so  decimated  the  sixty  students  of  Haensel 
and  Kissling's  regime,  that  scarcely  a  dozen  were 
now  workers  in  the  mission  field. 

He  left  the  college  (he  said)  in  1841  to  join  the  Timmanee 
Mission,  which  was  then  established  under  the  superintendence 
of  Mr.  Kissling,  but  was  shortly  afterwards  detached  from 
that  field  of  labour  to  join  in  the  Niger  Expedition.  He  then 
entered  into  a  narrative  of  bitter  taunts  and  ridicule  from  his 
friends,  some  of  whom  styled  him  a  fool  for  joining  the  expedi- 
tion without  any  guarantee  of  good  pay  like  the  Europeans. 
He  told  them,  in  reply,  that  the  Society  had  promised  to 
supply  him  with  necessaries,  and  consequently  he  should  not 
want.  He  was  subsequently  connected  for  ten  years  with  the 
Yoruba  mission,  where  had  gathered,  under  God's  blessing,  a 

O 


194  CONSECRATION   AND  AFTER 

very  promising  and  much  attached  congregation.  He  dated 
his  connection  with  the  Niger  since  1854,  from  which  period 
he  had  been  hterally  moving  to  and  fro.  To  a  friend  inquiring 
at  the  same  time  whether  he  did  not  mean  to  rest,  he  answered  : 
"  I  shall  only  rest  when  I  have  no  more  work  to  do."  It  was 
his  firm  conviction,  from  what  he  had  witnessed  from  travel- 
ling to  and  fro  along  the  coast,  that  the  difficulties,  hardships, 
and  deprivations  of  missionaries  are  nothing  in  comparison 
with  what  many  a  merchant  suffers  for  a  paltry  gain.  A 
missionary  should  be  jack-of-all-trades,  one  ready  to  put  his 
hands  to  work  and  to  do  in  a  legitimate  way  anything  that 
might  tend  to  advance  the  cause  of  Christ.  In  conclusion,  he 
called  the  attention  of  the  students  of  the  college,  who  were 
all  present,  to  the  fact  that  though  they  were  but  six  in  the 
reopening,  yet  that  number  was  greater  by  two  than  what 
they  were  when  the  college  was  first  established  in  1827. 
They  had  all  the  brethren  before  them  as  an  encouragement, 
whereas  he  and  his  fellow-students  then  had  none  to  look 
up  to. 

He  trusted  that  he  had  succeeded  in  his  attempt  to  deepen 
their  hearts  in  the  work,  and  prayed  that  every  one  enlisted 
under  the  banner  of  Christ  should  never  fail  to  prove  himself 
a  good  soldier  of  the  Cross. 

The  Bishop  then  recommended  in  prayer  his  brethren 
to  the  God  of  Christian  missions,  and  pronounced 
the  Benediction.  Soon  afterwards  we  find  him  starting 
for  Lagos,  which  he  reached  on  22  August,  and  where 
he  held  his  first  ordination  service,  admitting  Mr. 
Lambert  Mackenzie  to  deacon's  orders.  He  then 
took  a  passage  on  board  the  Investigator,  and  went 
up  the  Niger  again.  Bishop  Crowther  was  a  man 
of  unresting  activity,  and  a  bom  traveller.  This 
was  one  of  the  qualifications  which  marked  him  out 
as  the  Bishop  of  the  Niger.  The  wide  extent  of  his 
diocese  "  beyond  the  limit  of  our  dominions,"  with 
an  ever-retreating  horizon  inland,  through  which  the 
lordly  Niger  and  its  tributaries  flowed,  demanded  a 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  195 

man  of  almost  inexhaustible  energy.  This  was  an  im- 
possible condition  to  a  European  constitution.  De- 
voted missionaries  with  grand  ideals  had  found  them- 
selves perplexed  and  baffled  by  the  growing  need  of 
the  work  and  their  physical  incapacity  to  do  anything 
more.  Either  they  died  in  the  field  with  a  vision 
of  what  might  have  been  before  their  closing  eyes, 
or  returned  sick  and  unfit,  with  a  haunting  sense  of 
unaccomplished  aims.  But  not  so  with  Bishop 
Crowther.  A  little  man,  with  nerves  of  steel,  upon 
whose  constitution  neither  lagoon  nor  mosquito 
could  leave  any  deadly  germ,  whom  incessant  work 
did  not  seem  to  wear,  intellectually  alert  and  vivid, 
spiritually  so  optimistic  and  full  of  hopeful  faith. 
He  was  always  on  the  tiptoe  of  new  achievements, 
and  yet  no  man  had  more  native  dignity  or  common 
sense. 

On  reaching  Onitsha  he  held  another  ordination 
service,  and  much  interest  was  excited  by  the  strange 
spectacle  of  a  native  being  admitted  by  a  native 
Bishop.  The  people  gazed  in  wonder  ;  the  like  had 
never  been  seen  before  or  thought  to  be  possible. 
But  if  they  were  so  much  impressed,  how  much  more 
was  the  Bishop's  mind  moved  by  it.  He  makes 
this  note  of  his  thoughts  : 

The  native  converts  did  not  fully  understand  what  it  was, 
but  our  mission  party  entered  into  it  with  heart  and  soul. 
There  was  nothing  grand  in  it,  but  a  peculiar  solemnity  per- 
vaded the  whole  service.  The  place  of  ordination,  the  con- 
gregation among  whom  it  took  place,  the  candidate  for 
ordination,  the  assisting  priest,  and  the  officiating  bishop, 
presented  such  a  novel  scene,  as  if  a  new  thing  was  taking 


196  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

place  in  Africa.  Can  this  be  real  ?  Is  this  the  way  Chris- 
tianity spread  to  remote  countries  in  the  first  centuries  of  its 
promulgation  ?  In  the  nineteenth  century,  the  time  when 
"  many  shall  run  to  and  fro,  and  knowledge  shall  be  increased," 
when  "  the  wilderness  and  solitary  place  shall  be  glad  for  them, 
and  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose  "  ? 

But  the  shadow  behind  all  this  was  the  hold  which 
the  evil  native  customs  still  had  upon  Onitsha.  While 
a  few  were  rejoicing  in  their  happy  deliverance  from 
this  thraldom,  there  was  around  a  cruel  darkness, 
for  on  the  death  of  Prince  Odiri  human  sacrifices 
were  made.  The  native  missionary  tried  his  best 
to  stop  this,  and  offered  with  money  to  redeem  the 
victims,  but  without  success.  Amongst  others  who 
were  buried  alive  in  the  grave  of  this  dead  prince  was 
a  little  innocent  girl  of  eight  years  of  age,  with  a 
knapsack  hung  over  her  shoulder,  containing  a  piece 
of  mutton,  some  kola  nuts,  and  a  snuff-box,  for  the 
use  of  the  spirit  of  the  dead  man  in  the  next  world. 
The  Christian  converts  were  roused  to  indignation, 
and  at  the  risk  of  their  lives  they  hurried  into  the 
King's  presence,  expressing  their  horror  at  what  had 
been  done.  One  cried  passionately  :  "  The  Gospel, 
which  we  have  never  known  before,  has  appeared 
in  your  day.  Prize  it !  Prize  it  !  Prize  it  !  You 
have  to  give  an  account  to  your  Maker  and  Judge  ! 
Do  not  shed  blood  !  "  Another  man  confined  himself 
to  a  word  of  simple  and  heartfelt  testimony.  He 
uttered  the  following  words  before  the  King :  "I  am 
now  a  baptized  convert,  and  one  of  your  subjects. 
The  Gospel  teaches  me  to  obey  those  in  authority. 
I  have  been  ridiculed  by  all  my  townsmen.     I  am 


CONSECRATION   AND  AFTER  197 

glad  to  tell  you  this  day,  as  my  earthly  King,  that 
I  am  a  scapegoat  of  Jesus  Christ." 

Some  of  their  ways  of  expressing  their  real  spiritual 
experiences  are  pathetic  in  their  sweet  simplicity. 
For  instance,  the  native  pastor  had  called  upon  a 
poor  father  whose  girl,  the  very  apple  of  his  eye, 
had  just  died.  After  a  word  of  condolence  on  the 
loss  of  his  daughter  the  pastor  asks  his  convert  : 
"  Do  you  wholly  trust  in  the  Lord  ?  "  The  bereaved 
man  clasped  his  hands  and  replied  :  "  I  do  calmly 
resign  all  my  afflictions  to  Him.  I  myself  live  and 
move  by  Him.  God  forbid  that  I  should  distrust 
my  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  Look  what 
afflictions  and  sufferings  He  undertook  on  my  account. 
He  rescued  me  from  hell."  So  speaking,  he  rushed 
out  in  the  front  of  his  yard,  raised  his  eyes  to  heaven, 
gazed  long,  then  fell  down  on  his  knees,  put  his  face 
to  the  earth  with  profound  humility,  and  exclaimed, 
"  Good  Jesus !  Good  Jesus !  Good  Jesus !  Give 
me  heart  to  bear,  give  me  heart  to  pray  !  " 

When  the  Bishop  reached  Ghebe  he  held  a  con- 
firmation of  five  settlers  from  Sierra  Leone  and  six- 
teen native  converts.  This  again  was  a  new  rite 
in  this  far-away  outpost,  and  proved  a  solemn  and  im- 
pressive time.  Next  day  we  find  him  taking  the 
Sunday-school.  He  was  always  such  a  favourite  with 
the  children.  And  after  dismissal  he  had  an  earnest 
talk  with  the  teachers  about  their  work.  Then  he  made 
his  way  up  the  river  to  Idda  to  see  the  Ata,  in  spite 
of  the  opposition  of  the  chiefs  or  the  rapacious  demands 
of  the  canoe  men,  who  found  their  match  this  time. 


198  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

"  I  say  at  once,"  he  remarked,  "  that  they  in- 
tended to  make  as  much  of  me  as  possible  by  this 
intended  trip  to  Idda,  so  I  determined  to  Usten  to  no 
such  story." 

When  he  arrived  Abokko,  the  great  chief,  of  whom 
we  shall  hear  more  anon,  said  he  was  glad  to  see  him, 
and  told  him  that  he,  the  Bishop,  was  a  true  man, 
because  his  promise  to  come  was  not  believed  by  the 
King,  and  to  disappoint  his  royal  master  by  the  ful- 
filment of  his  promise  was  delightful  to  him.  This 
fussy  sable  functionary  took  care  to  be  liberally 
treated  in  the  matter  of  presents,  and  the  gift  of  a 
fancy  border  white  sheet,  damask  cushion,  and 
smoking  cap,  worked  by  the  Reading  Ladies'  Working 
Association  at  home,  had  evidently  a  gratifying  and 
profitable  effect.  The  Bishop,  in  his  journal,  makes 
a  note  here  : 

These  articles  being  select,  suitable  for  a  king,  and  being 
ladies'  handiwork,  I  purposed  to  make  the  best  use  of  them, 
to  convince  the  people  and  the  King  how  superior  civilized 
nations  are  through  knowledge  and  the  reception  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  how  low  and  inferior  the  condition  of  those  who 
are  without  them,  and  what  they,  both  male  and  female, 
may  also  be  if  they  receive  the  Gospel. 

In  this  place  he  was  solemnly  informed  that  it 
was  their  belief  that  when  their  King  or  great  chiefs 
died  they  go  to  the  white  man's  country  and  became 
like  him,  travelling  like  a  white  man,  and  therefore 
they  regarded  the  Bishop  as  one  of  their  own  country- 
men from  the  spirit  world  who  had  died.  Abokko 
was  very  anxious  to  know  whether  the  white  man's 
country    was    not    in    the    neighbourhood    of    God's 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  199 

residence  (Paradise),  and  therefore  much  nearer 
God  than  the  black  man  ;  also  whether  it  is  not 
true  that  when  the  white  man  sees  a  person  of  note 
he  puts  him  in  a  book  and  carries  him  back  to  his 
country,  which  perhaps  was  not  altogether  a  bad 
guess  at  the  truth  ! 

The  Bishop  had  a  very  interesting  interview  with 
the  Ata  or  King,  after  many  excuses  and  much  rather 
clever  diplomacy  on  the  part  of  Abokko  to  keep  them 
apart.  The  reason  for  this  was  found  to  be  a  feeling 
of  terror  lest  the  white  man  should  take  his  photo- 
graph, with  dire  results,  as  depicted  by  the  wise  men 
of  the  court !  In  dealing  with  this  crafty  old  heathen 
the  Bishop  had  not  only  taken  pains  to  specify  the 
objects  of  his  visits,  but  to  tell  other  people  during 
his  enforced  delay,  so  that  the  King  might  be  fully 
impressed  and  prepared  to  consider  them.  The  last 
of  these  applications  was  to  this  effect : 

That  as  we  intend  establishing  ourselves  at  Idda,  I  should 
be  glad  if  the  Ata  would  take  the  ruinous  state  of  a  large 
portion  of  his  town  into  consideration  and  act  as  a  king  ought 
to  do,  by  calling  together  the  elders  of  his  country  and  con- 
sulting to  put  an  end  to  the  quarrel  between  him  and  the 
Abokko's  family,  recalling  them  to  rebuild  their  houses,  in 
consideration  of  the  good  services  to  his  country  of  their 
grandfather,  who  was  a  worthy  friend  to  the  white  men,  for 
our  sake  who  now  interpose  ;  but,  above  all,  for  God's  sake, 
who  might  never  forgive  us  if  He  were  to  keep  His  anger 
for  ever. 

It  is  really  remarkable  what  influence  the  Bishop 
had  with  these  people;  how,  for  example,  in  this 
particular  case  the  Ata  entertained  these  rather 
weighty  demands  for  favour,  and  at  once  gave  every 


200  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

facility  for  the  erection  of  mission  premises  and  the 
furtherance  of  Christian  work  among  his  people. 
Doubtless  the  fact  of  the  Bishop  being  a  black  man 
and  understanding  so  much  better  the  native  mind 
and  customs  added  much  to  his  success.  The  in- 
evitable present  also  had  its  share  in  keeping  the 
royal  mind  in  a  good  and  peaceable  humour.  In 
his  turn  he  loaded  the  Bishop  with  gifts  of  kola  nuts, 
yams,  and  a  sheep  and  goat,  which  were  gladly  ac- 
cepted and  were  valuable,  not  so  much  perhaps 
for  their  intrinsic  worth  as  the  expression  they  mani- 
fested of  friendly  feeling.  This  interview  ended 
with  a  httle  talk  over  this  gift  business,  which  the 
Bishop  thus  notes  in  his  journal : 

I  was  thankful  so  far  the  Lord  had  given  us  success  as  to 
enable  us  to  see  and  gain  the  confidence  of  the  Ata  and  his 
people.  But  the  King  had  been  told  that  I  had  the  sun  (i.e.  the 
watch)  about  me,  which  he  should  like  to  see.  I  got  up  and 
opened  the  watch,  which  I  held  to  his  ears  that  he  might  hear 
it  ticking  plainly.  I  then  opened  the  case  that  he  might  see 
the  working  of  the  spring.  The  Ata  had  also  been  told  of  my 
glass  lantern,  and  he  would  be  very  glad  if  I  would  order  one 
like  it  for  him,  also  a  pair  of  long  t)Oots,  with  a  pair  of  spurs, 
and  a  large  umbrella.  I  wanted  to  see  the  size  of  his  foot, 
and  he  immediately  took  off  his  sandal,  which  articles  I  pro- 
mised to  order  for  him. 

The  curiosity  of  these  great  men  in  Africa  knows 
no  bounds.  On  one  occasion  a  king  wanted  to  know 
whether  the  great  white  Queen  wore  leather  boots, 
and  in  order  to  outshine  her  he  told  the  Bishop  to 
order  him  a  pair  of  boots  made  of  brass,  which  his 
visitor  promised  should  be  done  when  he  had  dis- 
covered in  London  a  maker  of  brass  boots. 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  201 

On  his  arrival  back  at  Ghebe  the  Bishop  preached 
to  the  people,  and  afterwards  administered  the  Sacra- 
ment, also  baptized  ten  adults  and  seven  children. 
The  journey  over,  the  Bishop  visited  Bonny, in  the  Bight 
of  Biafra,  and  founded  the  first  Delta  station  there. 
It  was  an  important  opening,  and  destined  to  become 
one  of  the  most  flourishing  stations  of  the  native 
work.  He  recognized  the  great  necessity  of  dealing 
with  that  large  and  scattered  population  inhabiting 
the  swampy  and  malarial  region  of  the  Delta,  where 
the  great  river  Niger  loses  itself  in  twenty-six  branches, 
spread  out  hke  a  gridiron,  and  intersected  continually 
by  other  smaller  streams  stretching  from  the  lagoons 
of  Lagos  at  one  end  to  the  mouth  of  the  Old  Calabar 
River  on  the  other.  This  territory  of  dark  super- 
stition, with  its  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  of 
sea  front,  and  a  depth  landward  of  one  hundred  and 
forty  miles,  was  to  be  the  immense  parish  of  the  Delta 
mission. 

Bonny  had  an  evil  reputation.  Whilst  its  position 
gave  it  natural  advantages  for  trade  in  palm  oil, 
its  people  were  most  repulsive  and  degraded.  Within 
a  few  years  of  this  visit  of  the  Bishop  cannibalism 
was  a  common  practice,  human  sacrifices  were  freely 
offered  on  the  death  of  a  chief,  the  juju  temples  were 
the  scene  of  the  most  revolting  customs,  and  were 
paved  and  decorated  with  the  skulls  and  bones  of 
their  victims.  Everywhere  devilry  and  cruelty  still 
abounded,  and  the  town  was  infested  with  huge 
crawHng  hzards,  which  had  been  created  into  deities, 
and  must  not  therefore  be  destroyed. 


202  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

However,  to  this,  one  of  the  vilest  spots  on  earth, 
full  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty,  the  light  of  the  Gospel 
was  to  come.  Its  King,  William  Pepple,  paid  a  visit 
to  the  white  man's  land,  and  was  actually  in  England 
shortly  before  the  consecration  of  the  Bishop.  This 
king  was  so  struck  with  the  results  of  Christianity 
and  civilization  that  on  his  return  he  addressed  a 
letter  to  the  Bishop  of  London,  which  document 
was  handed  by  him  to  the  Church  Missionary  Society. 
Fitting  in  with  this  remarkable  chain  of  providential 
events,  this  was  the  means  of  directing  the  Bishop 
on  his  return  to  answer  its  requirements  in  person. 
He  gives  us  a  good  picture  in  his  first  impressions  of 
Bonny  at  this  time  : 

The  town  of  Grand  Bonny  is  situated  on  the  east  side  or 
left  bank  of  the  river  which  bears  its  name,  Ubain,  on  a  tri- 
angular point  of  a  creek  running  eastward  from  the  main 
river.  The  chief  part  of  the  town  is  built  on  the  bank  of  the 
creek  for  the  convenience  of  working  and  securing  their 
canoes,  because  the  agitation  of  the  waves  is  not  so  much 
felt  here  as  on  the  beach  of  the  main  river  ;  but  the  creek  is 
very  muddy,  for  which  the  people  seem  to  care  very  Uttle. 
All  the  ships  and  hulks  lay  as  near  the  point  of  the  town 
creek  as  possible,  and  consequently  the  chief  scene  of  business. 

The  town  being  so  flat,  and  almost  on  a  level  with  the  flow 
tide,  is  very  seldom  perfectly  dry,  and  when  it  rains  it  is  very 
soon  saturated  ;  but,  bad  as  it  is,  it  can  be  improved.  There 
are  a  few  good  houses  owned  by  chiefs.  I  had  to  walk  over 
the  town  many  times  to  find  an  open  dry  space  for  a  tempo- 
rary schoolroom  between  three  choices.  After  a  Uttle  ac- 
quaintance with  the  localities  I  pitched  upon  the  most  suit- 
able, it  being  somewhat  good  for  our  purposes.  Here  the 
temporary  schoolroom,  fifty  feet  by  twenty  feet,  is  put  up  of 
native  materials.  Near  the  schoolroom  is  a  house  hired  for 
the  use  of  the  mission  agents,  and  thus  the  preliminary 
arrangements  to  commence  our  operations  are  completed  till 
we  can  erect  a  permanent  mission  station  outside  the  town, 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  203 

where  we  shall  have  sufficient  room,  sea  breeze,  the  comforts 
of  dry  and  healthy  ground,  and  of  being  separated  from  the 
irregular  habits  of  the  population.  About  ten  minutes'  walk 
from  the  town  of  Bonny  I  found  a  nice  dry,  sandy  land,  over- 
grown with  woods,  four  feet  elevation  above  the  spring  tide. 
Here  I  have  chosen  for  the  erection  of  a  permanent  mission 
station. 

This  was,  of  course,  written  after  the  Bishop  had 
been  received  by  King  WilUam  Pepple  and  the  chiefs. 
He  was  cordially  welcomed,  and  obtained  signed 
agreements  for  the  establishment  of  the  mission. 
After  a  short  absence,  visiting  other  places,  the 
Bishop  came  back  to  Bonny,  bringing  with  him  two 
lay  agents,  who  were  lodged  in  an  old  hulk.  The 
Bahiamian,  opening  a  day-school  and  preaching  in 
the  streets  and  market  place  of  the  town.  But  the 
Bishop  insisted  on  having  a  proper  abode  on  shore, 
and  an  old  chief  known  as  the  "  Admiral "  offered 
two  houses,  which  were  promptly  cleared  of  rubbish, 
cleaned,  and  made  suitable  for  habitation.  The  next 
step  was  to  build  a  big  mud  and  wattle  school-chapel, 
capable  of  holding  two  hundred  people,  and  finally 
the  Bishop  discovered  a  good  place  for  mission  premises 
to  be  permanently  erected,  and  obtained  the  needful 
permission.  But  the  natives  were  aghast  at  the 
choice,  for  it  was  what  they  called  "  a  bad  juju  bush," 
being  a  place  which  had  been  used  for  the  bodies 
of  victims  killed  for  sacrifice,  also  the  rubbish  heap 
where  twins  were,  according  to  their  custom,  flung 
away  to  die.  Cries  were  accordingly  raised  that  if 
the  missionaries  took  this  place  the  gods  would  be 
angry.     One  could  hardly  imagine  this  horrid  hovel 


204  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

to  be  a  sacred  shrine,  and  that  these  very  trees  were 
invested  with  a  mysterious  character  and  power  for 
evil.  The  Bishop,  however,  was  not  the  man  to  be 
frightened  away  by  these  terrors,  and  when,  in  spite 
of  this  pubhc  remonstrance,  he  was  allowed  to  have 
the  land,  it  was  grudgingly  granted  at  his  own  risk, 
and  the  powers  would  not  guarantee  the  consequences. 

"  Give  us  the  ground,"  he  said,  "  and  leave  us  and 
juju  to  settle  the  remaining  palaver." 

It  was,  however,  no  slight  matter  to  get  the  evil 
place  cleared.  The  horrified  people  would  not  touch 
a  leaf  of  this  sacred  and  yet  infamous  grove,  and  King 
William  Pepple  sent  his  son  with  ten  obedient  men 
to  cut  the  bush  ;  but  even  this  young  prince,  when  he 
arrived  at  the  spot,  asked  to  have  a  portion  of  Scripture 
read,  and  somebody  to  kindly  pray,  as  there  were  so 
many  evil  spirits  about  to  be  disturbed.  At  last, 
not  without  misgivings,  they  commenced  to  hew  down 
the  branches,  and  meeting  nothing  of  a  supernatural 
sort,  grew  bolder,  and  the  place  was  soon  made  fit 
for  building  purposes.  When  the  mud  school-chapel 
was  at  last  finished  and  opened  with  prayer  and 
thanksgiving,  attention  was  drawn  to  a  large  copper 
bell,  three  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter,  which  for  many 
years  had  been  lying  on  the  ground  in  Bonny  town. 
How  such  a  huge  import  from  the  white  man's  country 
could  have  reached  this  place  could  only  be  explained 
by  the  inscription  which  the  Bishop  deciphered  as 
follows  :  "  William  Dobson,  founder,  Downham,  Nor- 
folk, England.  This  bell  was  cast  for  Opooboo  Foobra, 
King    of    Grand    Bonny,  in    the    year    1824."     Here, 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  205 

then,  was  an  opportunity  of  utilizing  tliis  old  bell — 
once  possibly  half  worshipped  by  the  heathen,  per- 
haps used  in  their  dreadful  practices — for  the  service 
of  the  new  school-chapel  erected  for  worship  of  the 
true  God.  Chief  Oko  Jumbo,  a  name  strangely 
familiar,  came  forward,  and,  at  his  own  expense,  in 
English  fully  twenty-four  pounds,  transferred  it  from 
its  resting-place  in  the  mud  to  the  roof  of  the  mission 
chapel. 

One  of  the  happiest  days  in  Bonny,  a  direct  result 
of  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  was  Easter  Day,  1867, 
when  the  worship  of  the  lizard  or  guana  was  formally 
and  for  ever  renounced  by  the  King  and  people. 
The  Bishop  wrote  the  news  home  with  a  gladdened 
heart,  a  remarkable  story  indeed  when  it  is  remembered 
what  a  firm  hold  these  creatures  had  upon  the  super- 
stitious fears  of  the  natives.  Sir  H.  H.  Johnston, 
in  his  lecture  before  the  Royal  Geographical  Society, 
gave  his  invaluable  testimony  to  this,  when  he  was 
pointing  out  that  the  animal  worship  was  so  real  at 
this  time  that  the  British  authorities  on  the  Oil 
Rivers  were  compelled  to  afford  it  a  certain  recog- 
nition.    He  goes  on  to  tell  us  : 

At  Bonny  the  monitor  lizards  became  a  sickening  nuisance. 
They  devoured  the  European's  fowls,  turkeys,  ducks,  and 
geese  with  impunity  ;  they  might  lie  across  the  road  or  the 
doorways  of  houses  with  their  six  feet  of  length  and  savagely 
lash  the  shins  of  people  who  attempted  to  pass  them  with 
their  whip-like  serrated  tails,  and  if  you  wounded  or  killed 
one  of  them  there  was  no  end  of  a  to-do.  You  were  assaulted 
or  robbed  by  the  natives,  harangued  by  the  consul  on  board 
of  a  man-of-war,  and  possibly  fined  into  the  bargain.  For  its 
effectual  abolishment,  which  has  been  of  the  greatest  benefit 


2o6  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

to  the  well-being  of  Europeans  and  natives  alike,  we  owe  our 
thanks,  not  to  the  intervention  of  naval  or  consular  officials, 
nor  to  the  bluff  remonstrances  of  traders,  but  to  the  quiet, 
unceasing  labours  of  the  agents  of  the  Church  Missionary 
Society. 

Now  let  the  Bishop  tell  the  story  of  the  extirpation 
of  these  privileged  pests  : 

April  22,  1867.  You  will  be  glad  to  hear  that  yesterday,  at 
the  mutual  consent  of  myself  and  chiefs,  the  geedee  or  guana. 
Bonny  juju,  was  declared  to  be  no  longer  Bonny  juju,  and 
many  of  the  townsmen  are  killing  them. 

No  sooner  was  this  renunciation  made  and  orders  given 
to  clear  the  town  of  them  than  many  persons  turned  out  in 
pursuit  of  these  poor  reptiles,  which  had  been  so  long  idolized, 
and  now  killed  them  as  if  it  were  in  revenge,  and  strewed  their 
carcases  all  about  in  open  places  and  in  the  markets  by  dozens 
and  scores  ;  fifty-seven  were  counted  at  one  market-place, 
where  they  were  exposed  to  public  view  as  a  proof  of  the 
people's  conviction  and  former  error,  and  that  they  were 
determined  to  reform  in  good  earnest  in  this  respect.  Every- 
where one  went  the  carcases  of  the  guana  met  the  sight. 
There  was  another  decision  made  respecting  the  removal  of 
the  guanas.  Lest  any  should  hereafter  say  he  had  not  had 
some  share  in  the  extinction  of  the  sacred  reptile,  it  was  de- 
cided that  some  of  the  blood  should  be  sprinkled  into  all  the 
wells  in  Bonny  town  to  indicate  that  they  had  concurred  not 
only  in  its  destruction,  but  also  in  its  use  as  food.  Many  soon 
after  began  to  feed  upon  the  flesh,  roasted  with  fire.  This 
reminds  me  of  the  passage :  "  And  he  took  the  calf  which 
they  had  made,  and  burnt  it  in  the  fire,  and  ground  it  to 
powder,  and  strawed  it  upon  the  water,  and  made  the  children 
of  Israel  drink  of  it  "  (Exodus  xxxii.  20). 

The  Bishop  adds,  however,  that  it  could  not  be 
expected  that  the  people  would  have  the  same  courage 
and  resolution  as  the  King  and  his  chiefs.  Super- 
stition dies  hard,  and  after  this  it  is  not  surprising 
that  the  wells  of  water  were  shunned  from  a  super- 
stitious  fear   rather   than   disgust.     The   water   girls 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  207 

were  sent  to  the  mission  premises  for  supplies  of 
water  from  the  only  well  unpolluted,  and  they  came 
in  large  numbers,  their  pitchers  upon  their  heads, 
and  many  in  a  state  of  nudity.  The  Bishop  deter- 
mined to  make  a  protest  against  the  habits  of  the 
people  in  this  respect,  and  refused  to  allow  any  to 
draw  water  unless  decently  clothed,  and  this  had 
the  desired  effect.  Not  only  had  the  people  suffered 
by  these  reptiles  killing  their  chickens,  but,  as  we 
have  seen,  many  persons  had  been  beaten,  and  even 
put  to  death  for  destroying  these  creatures  heretofore. 
It  seems  that  having  been  protected  for  so  many 
years,  these  lizards  had  become  quite  tame,  and 
treated  as  domestic  creatures,  and  it  was,  of  course, 
firmly  believed  that  any  injury  done  to  them  would 
incur  the  wrath  of  the  gods.  It  was  useless  to  argue 
against  this  idea  ;  the  answer  invariably  was,  "  Your 
country  fashion  be  good  for  you,  my  country  fashion 
be  good  for  me."  Had  it  not  been  by  the  command 
of  the  King  and  chiefs,  the  renunciation  of  the  juju 
worship  would  have  been  almost  impossible.  It 
was  the  desire  of  the  old  King,  William  Pepple,  to  carry 
out  this  drastic  measure  of  reform  in  favour  of  Chris- 
tianity, but  he  did  not  live  to  accomplish  it ;  but  his 
son,  a  worthy  successor,  was  not  slow  in  fulfilling 
his  father's  wishes.  After  the  old  King's  death  his 
son  wrote  to  the  Bishop  to  acquaint  him  of  his  sad 
loss,  and  this  letter,  so  very  honourable  to  its  writer 
and  very  interesting,  may  be  snatched  from  oblivion  : 

His  life  has  been  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  and  re- 
markable kind  for  an  African  king.    He  was  King  in  1835  at 


2o8  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

the  age  of  nineteen,  and  after  reigning  between  nineteen  and 
twenty  years  he  had  a  misunderstanding  with  the  chiefs, 
which  made  him  go  to  Fernando  Po,  from  thence  to  the  island 
of  Ascension,  and  from  thence  to  London,  where  he  landed  in 
June,  1856,  and  resided  there  till  June,  1861,  when  he  set  sail 
for  his  native  land,  arriving  in  Bonny  in  August,  and  by  God's 
grace  again  ascended  his  rightful  throne.  Having  seen  Eng- 
land, and  having  had  even  before  his  visit  a  wish  to  bring  the 
missionaries  into  his  dominions,  he  instructed  me  to  write  to 
the  Bishop  of  London,  who  handed  the  letter  over  to  you, 
which  made  you  visit  Bonny  in  1864,  and  the  agreement  was 
drawn.  The  rest  you  know  as  well  as  I,  and  even  better  than 
I  do.  I  therefore  do  not  repeat  it.  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  of 
your  prosperous  visit  to  and  return  from  the  Niger,  and  that 
the  kings  of  the  different  countries  down  that  river  are  up- 
holding and  introducing  Christianity  into  their  countries.  As 
for  me,  the  work  which  my  father  has  begun  I  will  never  (d.v.) 
deny  or  desert. 

Among  many  old  records  of  this  period  of  the 
mission  is  the  story,  quite  simply  told,  of  the  death 
of  a  poor  old  woman  known  as  Mammy  Hagar,  who 
was  converted  under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Johnson, 
the  old  missionary  at  Sierra  Leone,  to  whom  reference 
has  been  made  in  an  earlier  chapter.  Possibly  she 
was  known  to  the  Bishop  ;  in  any  case,  she,  like  him- 
self, was  a  liberated  slave  brought  into  this  haven  of 
freedom  by  British  cruisers  about  the  same  time  as 
he.  She  was  very  poor,  ignorant  as  regards  this 
world's  knowledge,  but  wonderfully  wise  in  the  grace 
and  knowledge  of  God,  dependent  upon  a  Government 
allowance  of  twopence  a  day,  supplemented  by  the 
willing  gifts  of  loving  friends.  Her  life  was  one  of 
sweet  and  humble  consistency,  and  not  only  a  regular 
attendant  at  the  church,  but  in  her  poverty  she 
practised   the  grace   of  giving,   and  contributed  her 


CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER  209 

widow's  mite,  literally  so,  to  the  Church  Missionary 
Society,  the  Bible  Society,  and  almost  every  object 
pleaded  for.  She  had  a  long  and  dangerous  illness, 
from  which  she  returned  shaken,  but  sufficiently 
recovered,  to  the  joy  of  the  congregation.  Then  once 
more  the  Divine  Hand  was  laid  upon  her,  and  she 
sickened  unto  death.  Her  faithful  black  pastor  shall 
tell  the  rest  : 

It  was  now  that  Jesus  was  glorified  in  His  servant.  Re- 
duced to  a  mere  skeleton,  there  she  lay  on  a  mat  near  the 
ashes — literally  so — the  picture  of  a  dying  saint.  Her  sick 
chamber  became  the  scene  of  great  encouragement.  She  said 
to  me  on  one  occasion  :  "  Heaven,  sir,  is  not  far  ;  heaven 
live  here,"  pointing  to  the  palm  of  her  hand.  "  I  want  to  go 
to  rest." 

Then  she  began  to  repeat,  although  she  could  not  read  a 
letter  of  the  alphabet  (and  this,  by  the  way,  shows  how  the 
memories  as  well  as  the  hearts  of  our  people  are  well  stored 
with  Bible  knowledge),  that  beautiful  text :  "  Come  unto  Me, 
all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden."  "  Heavy  laden," 
she  repeated.  "  Me,  Hagar  John,  have  rest,  glory  be  to  God." 
All  who  were  present,  with  myself,  burst  into  tears.  But  she 
turned  round  and  said  to  me  :  "  Master,  my  son,  why  do  you 
cry  ?  "  I  replied  :  "  We  all  envy  you.  We  would  rather  say, 
like  Paul,  '  To  be  with  Christ  is  far  better.'  "  "  No,  no,"  she 
said.  "  My  son,  my  master,  you  have  work  to  do.  I  am 
going  home  ;  mind  your  work.  See  Jesus  near  you  " — point- 
ing to  the  feet — "  hold  on,  patience.  Without  patience  no 
man  can  see  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven." 

After  a  short  pause  I  replied,  in  her  own  words  :  "  Heaven, 
it  is  true,  is  not  far  ;  it  is  quite  near."  She  turned  round  and 
said,  with  a  feeling  I  shall  not  soon  forget :  "  Master,  it  be 
far,  far  from  the  wicked,  but  near,  very  near,  to  the  righteous," 
pointing  to  her  palm  again. 

On  another  occasion  when  I  visited  her  I  read  those  beauti- 
ful words  of  our  Saviour  :  "  Let  not  your  heart  be  troubled." 
As  soon  as  I  began  she  took  it  up,  and  repeated  in  broken  bits, 
if  I  may  so  speak,  the  first  verse  and  part  of  the  second,  then 
the  latter  part  of  the  third,  exactly  like  one  who  never  learnt 
P 


210  CONSECRATION  AND  AFTER 

to  read,  but  who  could  repeat  bits  of  Scripture  by  rote.  Wlien 
she  got  to  the  end  of  the  third  verse  slie  said,  with  a  conscious- 
ness of  being  perfectly  correct :  "  That  in  the  14th  of  St.  John, 
ist  verse,  not  so  ?  "  I  replied  in  the  af&rmative.  She  said  : 
"  Jesus  prepares  fine,  fine  room  for  poor  Hagar  and  fine,  fine 
clothes  ;  no  trouble,  no  pain,  no  crying,  no  sin,  for  ever  and 
ever.     Amen." 

After  this  noble  testimony  to  the  value  of  Christ's  Gospel 
she  spoke  but  very  little.  She  rather  wished  not  to  be  dis- 
turbed, being  in  constant  communion  with  God.  Thus,  after 
a  few  days  of  weariness  and  suffering,  she  fell  asleep — for  it 
was  a  falling  asleep — in  Jesus. 


CHAPTER    VII 


THE   BISHOP   KIDNAPPED 


A  SUNNY  day  of  success  in  the  mission  field 
often  precedes  a  storm  cloud,  and  showers 
of  suffering.  God  holds  the  fan,  and  when  He  wills 
it  He  winnows  the  chaff  from  the  grain.  He  knows 
best  when  and  how  to  treat  His  people.  Sometimes 
it  is,  as  we  guess  at  it,  the  premature  snatching  away 
of  a  brave  and  capable  young  life,  just  gripping  its 
work  with  promise  of  success,  or  perchance  the  call 
home  of  a  veteran  whose  priceless  experience  and  in- 
fluence we  must  sorely  miss.  But  at  other  times  the 
blow  falls  upon  the  flock  ;  some  traitor  leads  in  the 
enemy,  and  heathenism,  cruel,  merciless,  and  fanatical, 
sweeps  in  like  a  flood,  and  the  cry  of  martyrdom  is 
heard,  amid  smoking  sanctuaries  and  plundered  homes. 
It  seems  as  though  the  toil  of  years  was  all  in  vain. 
The  field  once  golden  with  promise  is  bare,  still  the 
scythe  which  reaped  was  held  by  a  Hand  of  mercy ; 
it  is  mown  that  it  may  bring  forth  more  fruit.  It  is 
said  that  after  the  forest  fires  of  America  there  springs 
a  carpet  of  fair  flowers  which  are  never  seen  anywhere 
but  in  this  blackened  ground.  So  from  the  ashes  of 
a  consumed  church,  with  its  martyrdoms,  grow  other 

211 


212  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

saintly  and  valiant  lives.  This  is  true  not  only  of  the 
mass,  but  of  the  individual,  for  in  the  heart  of  every 
man  is  mirrored,  as  on  the  glistening  sphere  of  a 
trembling  dewdrop,  the  same  experience  of  shadow 
and  shine,  the  sleep  of  sorrow  and  the  dream  of  joy. 

These  reflections  introduce  us  to  an  epoch  in  the 
history  of  the  Bishop  and  his  beloved  mission  which 
lies  in  the  path  of  persecution.  It  will  be  remembered 
with  what  pains  he  had  laid  the  foundations  of  a 
mission  station  at  Ghebe,  which  from  its  position  near 
the  Confluence  was  likely  to  make  a  useful  place, 
not  only  for  mission  work,  but  for  purposes  of  trade 
up  the  Niger.  This  town  was  not  only  adjacent  to 
a  confluence  of  rivers,  but  it  was  a  veritable  confluence 
of  languages.  The  tribes  from  all  parts  met  here ;  in 
its  streets  and  markets  might  be  heard  Igara,  Igbira, 
Nupe,  Kakanda,  Yoruba,  Doma,  and  Djuku — quite 
a  confusion  of  tongues,  especially  when  several  in 
a  loud  key  are  talking  at  the  same  time.  In  his 
journals  the  Bishop  has  spoken  of  the  bright  little 
congregations,  and  the  readiness  of  the  people  in 
this  flourishing  town  to  hear  the  Gospel.  It  will  be 
imagined  what  dismay  and  disappointment  filled  the 
minds  of  the  readers  of  a  letter  from  a  native  catechist, 
writing  from  Lokoja,  to  say  that  the  town  of  Ghebe 
and  its  mission  premises  had  been  utterly  destroyed. 
One  of  those  fierce  tribal  wars,  which  break  out  often 
with  little  warning  and  as  little  excuse,  brought  the 
combined  forces  of  the  Basses  and  Akaias  party  to  its 
gates.  A  battle  was  fought  at  a  place  called  Obu ; 
the  men  of  Ghebe  were  defeated,  and  at  once  deserted 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  213 

the  town,  which  was  soon  committed  to  the  flames. 
The  British  Consul,  Mr.  Fell,  hastened  to  protect  the 
Christians,  and  saved  their  lives.  Some  managed  to 
get  into  the  canoes  which  he  sent  for  them  for  crossing 
to  Lokoja,  others  hurried  into  the  bush  and  found 
safety  in  flight  over  the  surrounding  country.  Every- 
thing was  plundered,  and,  says  the  narrator,  "  Gliebe 
is  now  a  ruinous  heap,  and  this  important  town  is 
swept  away  from  the  face  of  the  earth." 

The  Bishop  lost  no  time  in  visiting  this  scene  of 
desolation,  noting  how  the  natives  had  stolen  what- 
ever the  fire  had  spared  ;  and  confronting  the  two 
rival  chiefs  in  turn,  he  protested  very  strongly. 

I  made  it  a  point  (he  writes)  to  show  them  what  they  were 
doing  to  themselves  and  the  people  at  large  ;  that  God  had 
brought  the  way  of  peace  to  them,  but  they  have  chosen  war  ; 
God  had  brought  blessing  and  prosperity  to  them,  but  they 
have  abused  it  and  did  not  appreciate  these  things  ;  that  they 
have  deprived  Ghebe,  our  first  station  at  the  Confluence,  of 
all  the  advantages  it  had  above  all  other  places — the  privilege 
of  a  place  of  worship,  of  civilization,  and  industry  and  trade, 
all  of  which  were  introduced  at  great  expense  for  the  general 
good  of  the  country  ;  but  they  regarded  them  not.  How 
could  they  expect  to  prosper  under  such  circumstances  ? 

This  plain  speaking  seems  to  have  had  a  good  effect  ; 
at  any  rate  the  Bishop  retired,  as  he  says,  leaving 
"  both  parties  under  deep  impression  "  of  their 
misdoings  and  the  consequences. 

About  the  same  time  a  fierce  fire  broke  out  at  the 
mission  premises  of  Onitsha.  Some  one  had  set  fire 
to  a  dry  field  of  grass  across  which  a  strong  wind  blew, 
in  the  direction  of  the  mission  buildings,  which  speedily 
were    enveloped    in    flame.     Scarcely    anything    re- 


214  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

mained,  but  it  was  a  relief  to  know  that  no  lives  were 
lost. 

But  the  most  serious  circumstance  in  these  trying 
experiences  was  the  violent  and  disastrous  change 
in  the  situation  at  Abeokuta,  although  so  far  away. 
Of  course  not  strictly  a  part  of  the  Niger  mission, 
the  early  establishment  of  Christianity  in  the  city 
"  under  the  stone  "  had  been  so  intimately  associated 
with  the  Bishop  that  the  misfortunes  which  befell 
the  work  interested  him  naturally  very  deeply. 

The  seat  of  the  trouble  seems  to  have  been  our 
occupation  of  Lagos,  and  the  subsequent  Government 
of  that  colony  appears  to  have  been  unfortunate 
enough  to  have  excited  the  jealousy  of  the  chiefs, 
and  especially  of  the  Egbas,  whose  hostile  action 
had  made  the  Government  of  Lagos  take  retaliatory 
measures.  It  is  needless  at  this  point  of  time  and  in 
this  place  to  discuss  the  grounds  of  this  contention  ; 
suffice  to  say  that  the  Egba  people,  having  gained 
the  support  of  a  man  from  Sierra  Leone,  who  seems 
to  have  played  a  double  game,  found  themselves  in 
open  opposition  to  the  policy  of  the  Lagos  authorities. 
Mr.  Townsend,  the  missionary  for  whom  they  had 
such  a  deep  regard,  had  returned  to  England  for  his 
health,  and  during  his  absence  things  went  from  bad 
to  worse,  when  the  brewing  storm,  which  had  ap- 
parently a  cause  purely  political,  broke  over  the 
Christians  at  Abeokuta.  On  a  Sunday  morning, 
13  October,  1867,  the  town  crier  went  through  the 
town  prohibiting  any  native  from  assembling  in 
any  churches  or  Sunday-schools,  and,  in  spite  of  the 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  215 

protests  of  the  missionaries,  representing  the  Wesleyan 
and  Baptist,  as  well  as  the  Church  of  England  Society, 
some  minor  chiefs  gathered  a  mob  and  commenced 
to  ill-treat  the  Christians.  They  rushed  into  a  prayer- 
meeting  of  elderly  women  and  stripped  them,  dragging 
them  round  the  room  with  blows  ;  they  broke  into 
the  mission  premises,  smashed  the  iron  safe  to  pieces, 
and  distributed  the  money.  On  every  side  was 
plundering  and  cruel  outrage.  The  missionaries  were 
ordered  to  leave  at  once,  and  seeking  an  explanation 
from  the  chief  Akodun,  were  roughly  told  that  Chris- 
tianity had  brought  them  wars  and  trouble,  and  that 
the  EngUsh  at  Lagos  had  treated  the  Egbas  badly. 
In  the  end  the  missionaries,  a  forlorn  and  sorrowful 
group,  leaving  their  plundered  houses  and  ruined 
homes  behind,  slowly  left  the  town. 

It  is  not  easy  to  reahze,  through  the  cool  retrospect 
of  history,  what  all  this  meant  to  these  faithful  men. 
They  had  been  building  up,  bit  by  bit,  what  they 
hoped  would  be  a  veritable  city  of  God.  Everything 
seemed  to  promise  so  much,  and  from  the  bells  of 
their  sanctuaries,  and  through  the  windows  and  open 
doors  the  song  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  had  been 
heard  in  Abeokuta.  Now,  carrying  their  sick,  scoffed 
at,  robbed,  their  Bibles  burnt,  the  blood  of  their 
converts  spilt,  their  hearts  might  indeed  have  fainted 
within  them,  had  it  not  been  that  their  hope  was  in 
God. 

A  few  years  later  a  wave  of  persecution  reached 
Bonny,  and  the  converts  began  to  suffer  very  bitterly 
at  the  hands  of  their  heathen  masters.     One  or  two 


2i6  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

instances  will  show  how  fiery  was  the  ordeal,  and  how 
faithfully  these  poor  native  Christians  witnessed  a 
good  confession,  and  laid  down  their  lives  for  the 
faith.  The  protomartyr  of  Bonny  was  Joshua  Hart, 
whose  only  offence  was  that  he  had  renounced  his 
idols  and  worshipped  the  living  God.  It  appears 
that  he  was  arrested  and  punished  for  the  crime  of 
attending  church  on  the  Sunday,  but  he  endured  the 
cruel  treatment  he  received  with  patience  and  grace. 
Then  he  was  requested  by  his  tormentors  to  participate 
in  some  heathen  rites,  and  to  eat  of  things  offered 
in  sacrifice  to  the  gods,  and  this  he  refused  to  do. 
Four  men  then  caught  him  and  flung  him  up  in  the 
air,  so  that  he  might  fall  with  heavy  force  to  the 
ground.  This  was  done  again  and  again,  but  Joshua 
still  refused  to  abjure  Christ.  Two  other  chiefs  then 
came  forward  and  tried  to  reason  with  him,  then  to 
offer  him  bribes,  then  to  browbeat  and  threaten  him. 
But  it  was  of  no  avail.  In  fearless  words  he  answered  : 
"  If  my  master  requires  me  to  do  any  work  for  him, 
however  hard,^  I  will  try  my  best  to  do  it.  If  he  even 
requires  me  to  carry  the  world  itself  on  my  head, 
I  will  try  if  I  can  do  it.  But  if  he  requires  me  to 
partake  of  things  sacrificed  to  the  gods,  I  will  never 
do  it."  They  then  left  him  to  the  tender  mercy  of 
his  master,  who  took  the  poor  fellow,  bound  him 
hand  and  foot,  into  his  canoe  out  on  the  river,  to  drown 
him.  All  this  time  Joshua  was  praying,  calling  upon 
Jesus  to  forgive  his  enemies.  But  this  only  enraged 
his  master  the  more.  "  See,"  said  he  to  one  of  the 
chiefs  looking  on,  "  see  the  person  whom  I  am  about 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  217 

to  kill  continues  in  doing  the  same  thing  against 
which  we  are  speaking."  Then  turning  to  his  helpless 
victim  he  shouted  :  "  You  be  praying  again  ?  Then 
I  will  show  you  what  prayer  be  !  "  Thus  saying 
he  flung  him  into  the  water,  but  he  did  not  sink. 
So  he  was  hauled  out  again,  shaken,  and  asked 
if  he  would  recant ;  but  Joshua,  like  his  great  name- 
sake, recalled  the  promise,  "  Be  not  afraid,  neither 
be  thou  dismayed,  for  the  Lord  thy  God  is  with  thee," 
and  refused  to  deny  his  Lord.  Once  more  his  body 
was  hurled  into  the  river,  his  head  barbarously  beaten 
with  a  paddle,  and  as  a  finishing  stroke  he  was  thrust 
through  with  a  sharp-pointed  pole. 

It  would  be  easy  to  enumerate  the  cases  of  many 
other  martyrs,  not  always  suffering  such  an  open 
and  violent  death,  for  some  of  these  rufftans  began  to 
get  a  wholesome  fear  of  English  interference,  and 
therefore  when  they  caught  their  Christian  prisoners, 
they  secretly  hurried  them  away  into  the  solitary 
bush,  far  from  any  chance  of  their  cries  being  heard, 
and  left  them,  stripped  naked,  exposed  to  the  torment 
of  the  sand  flies  and  mosquitoes  which  infested  the 
place.  In  some  instances  it  was  slow  starvation, 
as  in  the  case  of  a  poor  canoe  man,  who,  refusing  to 
eat  meat  offered  to  idols,  saying,  "  My  master,  I  am 
on  God's  side,  therefore  I  cannot  eat  things  offered 
to  idols,"  was  carried  away,  with  strict  orders  to  his 
guards  that  not  a  drop  of  water  or  morsel  of  food 
be  given  him,  so  he  died  in  six  days.  It  is  possible 
that  some  may  think  these  converts  might  easily 
have  saved  their  lives  had  they  taken  a  more  liberal 


2i8  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

view  of  things,  and  not  sacrificed  their  safety  on  the 
turning  of  a  text,  for  thus  men  may  miss  martyrdom 
in  the  white  man's  land.  But  this  was  the  test  upon 
which  their  whole  loyalty  was  tried,  and,  hke  the 
Diocletian  martyrs,  who  would  have  scorned  to  put 
a  pinch  of  incense  at  the  foot  of  Diana,  they  preferred 
to  die  rather  than  deny  the  Christ. 

They  climbed  the  steep  ascent  to  heaven 

'Mid  sorrow,  toil,  and  pain  ; 
O  God,  to  us  may  grace  be  given 

To  follow  in  their  train. 

While  the  flock  suffered  the  shepherd  was  not  to 
go  unscathed.  Although,  happily,  the  Bishop  es- 
caped with  his  hfe,  the  incident  of  his  being  forcibly 
kidnapped  for  ransom  by  the  treachery  of  his  pre- 
tended friend,  Abokko,  a  chief  of  whom  we  have 
heard  something  already,  was  an  exciting  and  perilous 
event  in  his  career.  After  his  usual  fashion  he  kept 
a  private  diary  of  these  dangerous  adventures,  and 
the  story  cannot  be  told  better  than  in  his  own  vivid 
words.  He  was  travelling  up  the  Niger  on  one  of 
his  missionary  journeys  in  September,  1867. 

Being  assisted  by  the  sail,  he  made  a  pleasant  passage  of 
fourteen  miles  against  the  current  of  about  six  hours,  when 
he  arrived  at  Oko-Okien,  where  Abokko  has  stationed  him- 
self. A  canoe  preceded  us  and  halted  at  the  landing-place. 
The  headman  of  it  told  me  this  was  Abokko's  place,  so  I  put 
in  and  landed,  accompanied  by  one  of  my  boatmen,  to  pay 
the  chief  my  respects.  The  path  led  through  a  high  dawa 
(native  corn)  farm  in  a  winding  direction,  till  we  came  to  the 
group  of  huts  which  formed  the  farm  village.  I  met  him  in 
a  miserable  low  hut,  dark  and  gloomy  as  a  prison.  He  looks 
as  cross  as  if  he  had  suffered  from  serious  disasters.  We  being 
old  friends,  I  saluted  him,  but  his  reception  was  repulsive  ; 
the  tone  of  his  answer  betokened  something  wrong.     I  asked 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  219 

after  his  health,  to  which  he  repUed.  The  first  question  he 
asked  me  was  :  "  Where  are  my  presents  ?  "  I  replied  : 
"  What  presents  ?  "  While  we  were  thus  exchanging  words 
I  heard  a  rush  outside  of  men  running  up  towards  the  boats  ; 
the  boatmen  had  all  been  apprehended  to  be  put  in  irons. 
He  at  once  went  out  of  the  hut  and  I  after  him  down  to  the 
water  side  ;  his  men  had  already  commenced  plundering  the 
boat.  He  ordered  the  boat  to  be  cleared  of  everything  in  her. 
Resistance  on  my  part  would  be  of  no  avail  among  a  lot  of 
strong,  rude  slave  men,  so  I  ordered  Dandeson,  my  son,  and 
Mr.  Moore,  the  bricklayer,  out  of  the  boat,  and  thus  let  them 
do  as  they  pleased.  The  boat  was  cleared  of  everything,  sail 
and  mast,  and  was  conveyed  to  the  creek  in  charge  of  keepers  ; 
the  packages  were  conveyed  into  his  new  hut  to  be  examined 
at  his  leisure.  As  he  was  in  a  state  of  anger  and  passion,  I 
said  nothing  to  him  till  towards  the  evening,  when  all  the 
confusion  was  over.  He  had  been  busy  in  examining  every 
package,  parcel,  and  provision  box,  to  see  their  contents  and 
what  would  profit  him  most.  Our  personal  luggage  consisted 
of  my  small  tin  box  containing  some  wearing  apparel,  my 
surplice,  some  accounts,  papers,  and  books,  and  fifty  pounds 
in  gold  and  silver  coins  to  wind  up  the  salaries  of  the  agents 
at  Lokoja  ;  Dandeson's  portmanteau,  containing  his  wearing 
apparel  and  sketches  he  had  made  in  the  river ;  the  provision 
box  and  our  bedding,  and  16,000  cowries  to  buy  provisions  on 
the  way.  These  constituted  our  chief  luggage,  having  taken 
the  precaution  to  take  only  what  was  really  necessary  to 
prevent  serious  losses  in  case  of  an  accident,  as  above  stated. 

When  he  was  tired  he  went  and  lay  down  on  his  mat  out- 
side the  hut  to  rest  himself.  I  took  the  opportunity  of  his 
quietness  and  addressed  him :  "  Abokko,  what  was  my 
offence  that  you  served  me  so  strangely  to-day  ?  "  He  re- 
plied :  "  You  have  committed  no  offence  whatever."  I 
replied  if  I  had  committed  no  offence  I  could  not  account 
for  his  hostility  against  me,  in  seizing  my  boat  and  plunder- 
ing all  my  luggage  in  such  an  unexpected  manner,  especially 
when  I  put  in  to  pay  him  my  respects  as  a  friend.  Then 
Abokko  poured  forth  a  long  string  of  complaints  which  had 
moved  him  to  act  as  he  did. 

(i)  That  he,  although  superintendent  of  the  board  of  trade 
in  this  part  of  the  river,  was  not  recognized  by  the  English 
merchants  ;  that  he  was  slighted  by  being  made  only  small 
and  paltry  presents,  unworthy  of  high  rank  ;    neither  would 


220  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

the  ships  open  trade  with  him  ;  that  he  went  on  board  last 
year,  as  also  this  year,  but  they  would  not  trade  with  him. 

(2)  That  three  ships  had  visited  the  river  this  year  (taking 
the  Thomas  Bazeley's  two  trips  to  be  two  different  ships),  yet 
none  would  recognize  him.  Although  the  small  ship  {Investi- 
gator) stopped  at  Idda  and  gave  handsome  presents  to  the 
Atta,  yet  he  who  owns  the  river  and  all  the  Oibos  who  travel 
on  it  was  contemptuously  overlooked  ;  that  as  I  knew  all 
things  about  him,  I  ought  to  have  represented  them  to  the 
gentlemen  of  the  ship's  property  ;  that  as  I  had  not  done  so 
he  would  not  let  me  go  till  such  a  time  as  large  presents  were 
given  him  and  trade  opened  with  him. 

No  explanation  that  I  could  give  would  satisfy  Abokko. 
In  vain  I  assured  him  that  it  was  beyond  my  power  to  control 
trading  affairs  or  arrange  with  other  departments  what  pre- 
sents to  give  or  where  or  with  whom  to  trade.  Abokko  said 
he  knew  well  that  I  possessed  the  establishments  at  Lokoja, 
Idda,  Onitsha,  Bonny,  etc.,  and  he  beUeved  that  I  owned  the 
ships  also  and  could  direct  them  as  I  pleased.  All  my  attempts 
to  explain  to  Abokko  the  wide  difference  between  mission 
stations  and  trading  estabhshments  belonging  to  a  company 
of  merchants  were  of  no  avail.  He  demanded  three  boatloads 
of  goods  for  each  of  the  three  ships  to  effect  my  release.  I  re- 
ferred him  to  Idda  station,  where  there  is  not  as  yet  a  trading 
establishment,  as  a  specimen  of  my  other  stations  at  Lokoja 
and  Onitsha.  In  that  station  I  saw  no  traffic  going  on  but 
the  simplicity  of  missionary  work,  but  that  would  not  satisfy 
him. 

I  can  well  account  for  such  erroneous,  perhaps  wilful, 
attributing  of  such  power  and  influence  over  the  ships  and 
training  establishments  to  me.  It  arises  from  my  being  the 
oldest  visitor  known  in  the  river.  Since  1841  I  have  been 
always  seen  on  board,  whether  in  a  man-of-war  or  a  trading 
ship,  as  a  passenger  among  the  natives.  To  visit  the  river 
every  year,  and  yet  not  to  own  the  ships  or  the  trading  estab- 
lishments, was  what  Abokko  could  not  be  easily  made  to 
believe. 

A  pure  missionary  object,  unconnected  with  any  selfish 
object,  is  beyond  the  comprehension  of  such  avaricious  men 
as  Abokko,  although  there  are  hundreds  of  persons  who  could 
warmly  support  my  statements  as  correct,  having  visited  all 
our  mission  stations  and  seen  the  line  of  demarkation  between 
them  and  training  establishments  as  marked  as  light  from 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  221 

darkness.  I  enter  into  such  a  statement  to  excuse  Abokko, 
if,  indeed,  he  were  under  a  misapprehension  after  what  he 
attributed  to  me  ;  but  if  this  were  a  mere  pretence,  and  his 
purpose  were  to  make  me  a  bait  to  satisfy  his  cupidity,  I  can 
only  pity  the  man,  because  he  shall  have  to  answer  for  his  con- 
duct to  a  higher  power,  except  he  repent  before  God. 

To  proceed.  The  night  came  on  ;  no  impression  could  be 
made  upon  Abokko  to  change  his  tone  or  soften  his  treatment. 
He  sent  me  and  party  to  take  our  quarters  in  an  open  shed, 
occupied  by  his  canoe  boys,  on  a  mat  laid  on  the  damp  ground, 
which  served  us  for  a  bed  for  the  night,  without  a  morsel 
even  of  yam  or  corn  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  nature.  When 
I  sent  to  ask  for  some  of  my  own  yams  which  had  been  plun- 
dered in  the  boat,  Abokko  said  he  was  not  aware  before  that 
Oibos  were  in  the  habit  of  eating  late  in  the  evening,  and  so 
we  had  to  go  without.  We  passed  the  night  just  as  we  jumped 
out  of  the  boat  ;  one  of  Abokko's  slaves,  pitying  our  condi- 
tion, offered  me  his  country  cloth  for  a  covering.  I  admired 
his  tender  feelings  and  self-denial,  thanked  him,  and  begged 
him  to  keep  it  for  his  own  use.  One  of  my  boatmen  took  off 
his  tobe  and  gave  it  to  me  for  a  pillow,  as  he  had  another 
cloth  to  cover  himself  with.  I  accepted  that  for  Dandeson, 
whose  head  was  on  bare  ground,  I  having  a  small  raised  earth 
under  my  head,  softened  with  my  cap.  Thus  we  passed  the 
night ;  I  need  not  say  sleeplessly,  for  my  thoughts  were  full 
of  these  unexpected  trials  and  the  difficult  situation  into 
which  I  so  ignorantly  but  innocently  walked,  without  the 
least  apprehension  of  treachery  from  such  a  quarter.  But 
the  God  of  mercies  will  interpose. 

Abokko  is  practically  known  as  an  insatiable,  covetous, 
greedy,  grasping  person  ;  he  is  vindictive,  cruel,  and  treacher- 
ous. On  these  accounts  all  his  younger  relatives,  who  ought 
to  have  supported  his  influence,  deserted  him,  because  he 
always  took  away  from  them,  while  he  gave  them  nothing  in 
return.  In  money  matters  he  is  shunned  by  all,  no  one  having 
any  confidence  in  him.  What  he  receives  from  one  and  all 
are  empty  compliments,  which  covild  not  better  his  outward 
circumstances.  On  account  of  some  arbitrary  conduct  of  his 
he  incurred  the  King's  displeasure,  so  he  quietly  deserted  the 
town  of  Idda  and  stationed  himself  here  at  Oko-Okien. 

Since  my  detention  here  I  have  been  told  in  confidence 
that  Abokko  had  planned  an  attack  on  the  Thomas  Bazeley 
while  she  was  aground  in  this  neighbourhood,  but  could  not 


222  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

carry  it  out  for  want  of  men  to  support  him  ;  that  his  visit 
to  the  ship  was  a  mere  one  of  inspection  to  satisfy  liimself  of 
the  possibility  or  otherwise  of  the  attempt.  This  opened  my 
eyes  as  to  what  was  concealed  under  his  pretended  kindly 
invitation  to  me  to  come  on  shore  to  see  his  new  house  ;  it 
was  that  he  planned  to  entrap  me. 

Sept.  20.  The  boat  sail  was  ripped  into  pieces  from  its 
cordage  ;  a  part  of  it  has  become  Abokko's  verandah  screen 
against  the  rays  of  the  afternoon  sun.  All  our  packages  have 
been  examined  and  their  contents  plundered.  Abokko  was  so 
anxious  to  receive  the  three  boatloads  of  goods  before  my 
release  that  he  readily  accepted  the  proposal  of  one  of  the 
boatmen  to  take  a  letter  to  Lokoja  in  a  small  canoe  to  apprize 
our  friends  there  of  our  situation.  That  I  might  be  able  to 
represent  the  matter  properly  he  gave  me  access  to  my  tin 
paper-box,  which,  however,  he  would  not  allow  me  to  carry  away 
from  under  his  eye  ;  so  I  wrote  to  the  consul  from  the  threshold 
of  his  hut  to  hasten  the  message.  I  wished  to  take  my  Bible 
away  from  the  box  ;   he  refused,  and  demanded  my  keys. 

In  the  evening  I  returned  to  ask  for  a  pair  of  strong  shoes 
for  Dandeson,  as  he  had  on  but  a  thin  pair  of  slippers  in  the 
boat  when  travelling.  I  succeeded  in  getting  two  pairs,  one 
for  each  of  us,  as  well  as  our  bedding.  We  were  particularly 
thankful  for  the  blankets.  What  he  had  already  plundered 
from  us,  and  what  he  was  in  expectation  of  receiving  from 
Lokoja  for  our  release,  seemed  to  put  him  somewhat  into  good 
humour  to-day,  so  that  he  easily  let  me  have  the  shoes  and 
bedding. 

Sept.  21.  Abokko  was  rather  out  of  temper  to-day  ;  he 
repelled  me  in  everything  I  asked  of  him,  even  although  it 
was  a  portion  of  our  own  luggage,  so  I  left  him  alone.  Many 
of  his  slaves  censured  their  master's  treacherous  acts  to  me, 
his  acknowledged  old  friend.  They  not  only  confessed  their 
feelings  of  the  wrong  done  to  me,  but  showed  them  by  kind 
actions.  One  presented  us  with  two  fowls  and  restored  one 
of  Dandeson's  shirts  plundered  in  the  boat  ;  others  brought 
eatables  and  beer,  brewed  from  dawa  corn,  to  present  to  us  ; 
some,  again,  would  fetch  yams  and  Indian  corn,  and  soap  for 
us  to  wash  with  ;  while  their  master  was  as  unfeeling  as  a 
rock.  That  these  little  acts  of  kindness  were  very  much  to 
our  relief  I  need  not  say,  considering  that  the  chief  only  sent 
us  yams  at  times,  and  he  cared  not  how  we  ate  them,  broiled 
or  roasted  or  raw,  whether  with  salt  or  not.     I  often  told 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  223 

Dandcson  that  these  slave  boys  and  tender-feeling  females 
were  our  ravens  which  brought  us  daily  food  as  it  was  needed. 
Should  it  please  God  to  give  me  the  opportunity,  these  small 
acts  of  kindness  of  these  poor  oppressed  slaves  shall  not  pass 
unrewarded.     A  help  in  need  is  a  help  indeed. 

Sept.  22.  Lord's  Day.  No  Bible,  no  scraps  of  any  book 
whatever  in  hand  to  read,  I  felt  what  it  was  to  be  deprived 
of  the  means  of  grace.  I  did  not  like  to  ask  Abokko  for  any 
more  things  so  soon  after  the  refusal  of  yesterday.  However, 
we  took  comfort  by  repeating  such  passages  of  God's  Word  as 
were  applicable  to  our  case.  I  waited  till  about  noon,  and 
then  went  to  salute  Abokko.  I  met  a  Mohammedan  visitor 
with  him.  I  told  him  to-day  was  "  Aladi  "  (Sunday),  when 
the  people  of  God  throughout  the  world  met  to  read,  sing,  and 
pray  to  God,  but  here  I  was,  having  no  scrap  of  book  in  my 
hand  to  perform  my  parts  and  duties  of  this  day.  Abokko 
appeared  startled,  and  said  :  "  Why  did  you  not  come  for 
your  books  early  in  the  morning  ?  "  I  replied  as  he  was  out  of 
temper  yesterday  he  might  think  me  too  troublesome  in  asking 
for  too  many  things  ;  but  he  said  he  never  put  a  hindrance 
in  the  way  of  worshipping  God.  That  would  be  acting  against 
his  own  life  ;  so  saying,  he  immediately  ordered  my  tin  box 
to  be  brought  out  with  the  keys,  which  I  opened,  apparently 
untouched  ;  so  I  took  out  my  Bible,  Prayer  Book,  and  John- 
son's pocket  dictionary  and  a  blank  pocket-book  to  write 
notes  in  during  the  week.  The  Mohammedan  visitor  could 
not  refrain  from  begging  me  to  sell  him  some  paper.  Although 
stripped  of  everything  as  I  was,  to  satisfy  him  I  tore  a  leaf 
out  of  the  book  and  presented  it  to  him.  I  returned  to  our 
shed  with  these  books  as  new  treasures.  How  strikingly 
appropriate  were  many  portions  of  Scripture,  which  we 
opened  and  read  here,  to  our  situation.  It  appeared  as  if  a 
door  of  communication  with  the  Comforter  were  just  opened 
to  refresh  us  in  a  weary  land. 

Sept.  23.  Four  of  my  boatmen  being  restless  and  suspected 
of  planning  an  escape,  were  put  in  irons.  Abokko  intended, 
no  doubt,  to  make  as  much  as  he  possibly  could  of  this  oppres- 
sive and  treacherous  seizure. 

Sept.  24.  Abokko  sent  me  some  yams  this  morning  for 
our  meal,  and  with  them  two  small  pieces  of  smoke-dried  fish, 
for  the  first  time  in  the  way  of  a  meal  since  the  19th  ;  but 
God  has  provided  for  us  otherwise  through  his  slaves,  who 
always  gave  us  such  necessaries  as  their  scanty  means  allowed. 


224  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

He  had  made  an  offering  of  fish  to  his  idol  to-day,  and  was 
generous  enough  to  send  me  some  bits  of  it  soaked  in  palm  oil 
as  my  share.  I  returned  it  with  the  message  that  I  never  ate 
anything  offered  to  an  idol  as  sacrifice  ;  that  I  was  thankful 
and  satisfied  with  the  unprepared  pieces  he  had  sent  in  the 
morning.  He  then  said  it  might  be  given  to  some  of  my  boys 
to  eat,  but  as  none  were  disposed  to  partake  of  such  a  thing 
it  was  pitched  into  the  bush  by  one  of  them. 

To-day  was  Dandeson's  birthday,  the  twenty-fourth  year 
of  his  age.  How  different  was  this  to  his  former  birthdays, 
kept  among  his  relatives  and  friends,  who  congratulated  and 
wished  him  many  happy  returns  ;  but  it  took  place  this  time 
in  a  shed  on  the  bank  of  the  Niger,  where  we  are  detained  by 
a  covetous  chief  to  satisfy  his  greedy  desire  to  get  money  in 
order  to  force  goods  from  the  merchants  at  our  expense.  Far 
away  as  he  was  from  home  and  relatives,  except  myself,  and 
friends  and  from  all  comforts,  my  wishes  for  him  on  this  occa- 
sion were  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  see  many  a  return  of 
the  day,  to  which  this  of  his  captivity  in  his  first  career  of 
missionary  life  might  be  the  beginning  of  a  new  era.  We  were 
thankful  that  what  has  befallen  us  met  us  in  the  path  of  duty 
in  our  Master's  cause. 

Sept.  25.  Visited  Abokko,  as  I  had  not  done  so  yesterday. 
He  seemed  sobered  down  a  good  deal  in  his  high  expectation 
of  receiving  the  boatload  of  goods  by  the  non-arrival  of  the 
canoe  from  Lokoja.  Of  course,  I  had  written  to  the  friends 
there  not  to  send  anything  in  an  open  boat  or  canoe,  because 
they  would  be  sure  to  be  plundered  on  their  way  down,  and 
there  would  be  no  end  of  buying  and  paying. 

I  feel  convinced  that  the  time  wasted  here,  together  with 
the  losses  and  inconveniences  we  have  suffered,  will  be  more 
than  counterbalanced  by  the  good  which  will  result  from  the 
treacherous  conduct  of  Abokko.  As  he  never  gave  me  cowries, 
I  asked  for  a  loan  of  2000  to  buy  some  little  articles,  such  as 
palm  oil,  salt,  and  pepper  for  our  meal,  which  I  promised  to 
pay  as  soon  as  matters  were  settled.  He  readily  lent  them  on 
that  condition. 

Towards  the  afternoon  the  Atta's  messenger  made  his 
appearance  by  land  on  horseback  to  ascertain  whether  the 
news  which  had  reached  him  about  my  detention  and  plunder 
by  Abokko  were  true.  The  messenger  had  a  long  talk  with 
the  chief  all  night  till  about  the  first  cock-crowing,  the  result 
of  which  1  could  not  tell.    However,  he  used  his  influence,  and 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  225 

got  a  plate,  a  spoon,  and  a  fork  from  Abokko  for  my  use,  a 
luxury  which  I  had  not  enjoyed  during  the  last  seven  days. 
The  messenger's  plan  was  to  wait  and  send  the  Atta  another 
messenger  to  inform  the  King  of  the  state  of  things,  but  he 
changed  his  mind. 

Sept.  26.  Having  ascertained  what  things  were  plundered 
from  me,  he  left  early  for  Idda  to  inform  the  King  personally. 
The  Atta's  messenger  had  scarcely  left  about  three  hours 
when  Abbega,  the  consul's  messenger,  arrived  in  a  canoe  from 
Lokoja  with  a  kind  and  encouraging  letter  to  me  and  some 
handsome  presents  and  a  letter  to  Abokko,  requesting  him  to 
let  me  go  up  to  Lokoja,  which  Abokko  positively  refused  to 
listen  to  unless  I  purchased  my  life  at  the  value  of  two  hun- 
dred slaves.  I  had  no  voice  in  the  matter,  as  others  had  taken 
it  in  hand.  Since  my  detention  I  made  him  no  promise  to  pay 
him  anything  for  my  release,  nor  did  I  show  any  anxiety  about 
my  painful  situation,  so  he  could  have  nothing  to  allege  as 
being  promised  by  me.  After  much  long  talk  with  Abbega 
and  party  he  determined  to  take  no  less  for  my  release  than 
one  thousand  bags  of  cowries,  equal  to  £1000,  the  value  on 
the  Niger  ;  and  he  was  thinking  of  charging  another  ;^iooo 
for  Dandeson's  release  as  he  was  my  son,  and  I  was  able  to 
pay  the  amount.  However,  the  mediators  over-ruled  this, 
and  he  agreed  for  ^^looo  for  the  release  of  all  the  party. 
This  amount  he  wanted  to  be  paid  in  coral  beads,  velvets, 
white  satins,  and  cowries.  At  the  return  of  Abbega  I  wrote 
the  letter  to  the  consul,  which  Abbega  took  away  next  morn- 
ing, promising  to  be  back  on  Tuesday,  i  October  (d.v.).  It 
was  then  proposed  that  Dandeson  and  Mr.  Moore  should  go 
to  Lokoja  with  Abbega  to  lessen  our  number,  but  he,  in  a 
filial  manner  and  as  a  dutiful  son,  would  not  leave  me  to 
remain  alone,  so  I  sent  Mr.  Moore  with  Abbega. 

Sept.  28.  The  Thomas  Bazeley  very  unexpectedly  arrived 
early  this  morning  with  W.  Fell,  Esq.,  under  the  consul's  flag, 
having  met  Abbega  on  the  way  with  my  letter  to  the  consul, 
and  anchored  opposite  the  village.  Mr.  Fell  landed,  accom- 
panied by  W.  V.  Rolleston,  Esq.,  late  of  the  2nd  West  Indian 
Regiment,  being  passenger  on  board,  together  with  my  two 
sons,  Abbega,  and  some  of  Masaba's  men.  They  immediately 
communicated  with  me,  and  told  me  their  already  prearranged 
plan  to  take  us  away  without  paying  anything  for  our  release. 
I  advised  that  Mr.  Fell  should  see  Abokko  and  hear  for  him- 
self what  he  really  wanted,  that  he  might  satisfy  himself  as 
Q 


226  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

regards  the  price  charged  ;  at  the  same  time  to  assure  the 
chief  that  I  have  no  influence  over  the  merchants,  the  chiefs, 
or  trading  affairs,  my  simple  business  being  to  teach  the  people 
God's  Book,  in  the  which  work  I  was  engaged  when  he  seized 
my  boat,  plundered  my  luggage,  and  detained  me.  Mr.  Fell 
did  so,  and  promised  the  chief  handsome  presents  if  he  let 
him  take  me  on  board  with  him  ;  but  Abokko  was  stiff  and 
insolent,  and  refused  to  let  me  go  a  foot  till  the  value  of  ;^iooo 
was  paid  down,  Mr.  Fell  having  satisfied  himself  as  to  the 
extravagant  nature  of  the  charge  demanded,  determined  not 
to  give  such  a  covetous  rebel  against  his  own  King  encourage- 
ment to  do  worse  in  future,  the  more  so  as  men  of  like  stamp 
with  himself  would  be  encouraged  to  act  in  like  manner  ; 
boats  employed  in  communication  between  one  trading 
establishment  and  another  would  be  seized  upon,  and  the 
plunderers'  next  step  would  be  to  set  any  value  they  might 
fancy  on  the  crew  of  such  a  boat  for  their  release,  which  would 
be,  indeed,  another  kind  of  slave  traffic  in  the  persons  of 
British  subjects.  He  urged  me  to  go  at  once  into  the  boat. 
As  others  had  thought  for  me  and  had  deliberately  arranged 
their  plans,  I  yielded,  and  we  ran  into  the  boat.  During  the 
excitement  of  shoving  ofE  the  natives  fired  muskets  and  shot 
poisoned  arrows  after  us,  at  which  time  Mr.  Fell  received  a 
mortal  wound  from  a  barbed  poisoned  arrow,  which  I  very 
much  regretted.  Mr.  Rolleston  took  direction  of  the  boat, 
which  was  covered  by  firing  from  the  ship.  On  our  arrival 
on  board  the  ship  immediately  weighed,  while  every  attention 
possible  was  paid  to  extract  the  arrow  from  Mr.  Fell's  side. 
When  the  ship  was  within  a  very  short  distance  from  Lokoja 
poor  Mr.  Fell  expired.  It  would  have  been  more  satisfactory 
to  me,  had  such  been  the  will  of  God,  had  I  been  shot  and  my 
dead  body  taken  to  Lokoja  instead  of  his.  But  Mr.  Fell  had 
acted  gallantly,  zealously,  and  praiseworthily  in  his  deter- 
mination never  to  lower  the  honest  character  of  British  mer- 
chants by  paying  a  covetous  rebel  the  sum  of  ;^iooo  to  en- 
courage a  treacherous  breach  of  confidence,  friendship,  and 
hospitality.  This  is  not  the  first  time  that  I  have  travelled 
in  an  open  boat.  I  never  shrank  from  the  pursuit  of  my  duty 
from  mere  personal  exposure  to  dangers  common  to  all  tra- 
vellers by  land  or  by  water,  but  I  never  expected  such  treachery 
from  a  professed  friend  ;  against  this  I  could  not  guard. 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  227 

The  Bishop  never  failed  to  express  his  gratitude 

for  any  kindness,  and  an  old  letter  has  turned  up 

in  which  he  thanks  Colonel  Rolleston  for  his  brave 

part  in  his  rescue  at  this  time  : 

River  Nun,  15  Oct.,  1867. 
H.  V.  Rolleston,  Esq., 
Mission  House,  Akassa. 

My  dear  Sir, — Permit  me  to  express  my  feelings  of  un- 
feigned gratitude  for  your  kind  and  active  assistance  rendered 
to  deliver  us  out  of  treacherous  Abokko  at  Oke-Okein.  The 
more  I  think  of  your  succour,  covering  me  with  your  person, 
and  hastening  me  into  the  boat  to  our  middle  in  water,  the 
greater  obligation  I  shall  ever  feel  for  the  sacrifice  you  had 
made  by  thus  defending  me  ;  you  exposed  yourself  to  per- 
sonal dangers  such  as  had  happened,  to  my  great  regret,  to 
our  much  lamented  friend,  Mr.  W.  Fell. 

I  feel  persuaded  that  if  I  had  offended  Abokko  in  any  way 
you  would  not  have  hesitated  to  make  apology  on  my  behalf 
to  appease  him  or  to  subscribe  towards  making  satisfaction 
for  such  an  offence  ;  but  as  you  were  perfectly  aware  of  the 
covetous,  treacherous  motives  of  that  rebel  chief  for  seizing 
my  boat,  and  detaining  me  when  I  unsuspectingly  landed  to 
salute  him  as  a  friend,  to  be  charged  to  pay  such  enormous 
sum  as  a  price  of  his  breach  of  confidence  and  friendship,  and 
more  than  enough  to  arouse  in  your  mind  just  feeling  of  high 
indignation  against  his  unbounded  avarice. 

Had  you  not  from  pity  acted  in  such  a  decided  manner,  in 
all  probability  our  liberations  would  have  been  long  delayed, 
and  the  committee  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society  would 
have  been  left  in  long  and  anxious  suspense  as  to  what  has 
become  of  us  in  the  hand  of  piratical  Abokko  unless  the 
amount  charged  was  paid. 

May  your  life  be  long  spared,  and  in  God's  all-wise  Provi- 
dence you  may  be  an  instrument,  directly  or  indirectly,  by 
devising  plans,  to  do  much  good  for  the  improvement  of  the 
tribes  of  these  large  and  populous  parts  of  Africa. 

I  remain,  my  dear  Sir, 

Yours  thankfully, 

S.  A,  Crowther, 

Bishop,  Niger  Territory. 


228  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

To  show  how  deeply  the  children  of  the  Bishop 
cherished  the  memory  of  this  good  friend,  here  is 
a  letter  from  his  married  daughter,  addressed  to 
Mrs.  Rolleston  : 

Lagos  Grammar  School, 

1 6  November,   1867. 

Dear  Mrs.  Rolleston, — I  would  not  have  taken  the  liberty 
of  writing  to  you,  being  a  perfect  stranger,  had  I  not  been 
asked  to  do  so  by  your  dear  husband,  to  accompany  a  few 
trifles  I  send  for  your  dear  children.  I  trust  Mr.  Rolleston 
has  reached  you  safely  and  mentioned  to  you  the  invaluable 
service  he  has  done  for  our  family  in  the  rescue  of  our  dear 
father  from  the  hands  of  wicked  Abokko. 

Mr.  RoUeston's  name  is  immortalized  in  our  family,  and  is 
mentioned  every  day. 

I  send  you  one  of  my  bracelets  as  a  curiosity,  and  all  to 
put  you  in  mind  of  the  same  event.  It  is  the  palm  nut  carved, 
and  may  have  got  discoloured  before  it  reached  you  ;  a  little 
oil  rubbed  on  will  give  it  its  black  colour  again. 

Trusting  you  are  enjoying  good  health  with  your  family, 
and  with  respects  to  Mr.  Rolleston  and  yourself, 
I  am,  dear  Mrs.  Rolleston, 
Yours  respectfully, 

Abigail  Crowther  Macaulay. 

It  might  be  naturally  expected  that  the  Atta, 
King  of  Idda,  with  whom  the  Bishop  was  on  such 
good  terms,  and  whose  father  was  a  friend  of  the 
work,  would  have  taken  some  steps  to  punish  this 
traitor  who  had  kidnapped  the  Bishop.  But,  un- 
happily, Mr.  Coomber,  who  was  in  charge  of  the 
mission  station  at  Idda,  discovered  that  the  Atta 
had  been  quite  bought  over  by  Abokko,  and,  probably 
at  that  all-night  sitting  in  the  hut,  when  his  messenger 
came  to  discuss  the  situation,  it  was  arranged  that 
the  ransom  of  £1000,  when  received  for  the  Bishop's 
release,   should  be  divided  between  them.     Already 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  229 

when  Mr.  Coomber  went  to  see  the  Atta,  he  had 
recognized  in  his  hut  some  of  the  plundered  property 
which  had  been  received,  the  Bishop's  tea-kettle, 
a  pair  of  elastic-side  boots,  and  a  cap.  Later  on 
this  crafty  ruler  showed  his  hand  more  clearly  by 
telling  the  missionary  that  Abokko  was  coming 
to  plunder  and  destroy  the  mission,  and  he  could 
promise  it  no  protection  after  the  Thomas  Bazeley 
had  arrived.  When  the  Bishop  came  and  learned 
the  state  of  affairs,  he  saw  no  alternative  but  to 
abandon  the  station,  and  without  delay  the  workers, 
with  their  wives  and  children,  were  got  on  board, 
having  had  to  leave  all  their  furniture,  books,  and 
belongings  to  the  rapacity  of  the  people,  who  were  only 
waiting,  fully  armed,  to  seize  the  spoil.  So  in  sorrow 
the  mission  station  at  Idda  was  relinquished  with  the 
keenest  regret. 

A  very  touching  letter  was  written  to  the  Bishop 
by  the  native  pastors  at  Lokoja,  expressing  their 
sympathy  with  him  in  his  forcible  and  cruel  detention 
by  the  chief  Abokko,  which  with  one  common  feeling 
both  heathen,  Mohammedans,  and  Christians  decried 
with  indignation  : 

Be  assured,  Right  Rev.  and  dear  Sir,  that  in  your  suffer- 
ing fervent  prayers  were  offered  up  at  the  throne  of  Grace 
on  your  behalf,  and  none  were  more  glad  than  we  in  observing 
that  our  prayers  had  not  been  in  vain.  We  are  hereby  en- 
couraged in  our  reliance  on  the  promises  of  God  :  "  When 
thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee  :  when 
thou  walkest  through  the  fire,  thou  shalt  not  be  burned  ; 
neither  shall  the  flame  kindle  upon  thee  ..." 

In  your  patient  endeavour  of  the  distress  in  which  you 
were  placed  we  have  a  bright  example  of  suffering  all  things 


230  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

for  Christ's  sake,  and  whenever  we  are  called  upon  to  suffer 
any  like  calamity  for  the  Cross  of  Christ  our  Master  we  shall 
inevitably  think  of  your  sufferings  and  take  courage.  And, 
oh  !  may  we  have  the  measure  of  grace  which  has  hitherto 
characterized  your  deportment  under  the  most  painful  cir- 
cumstances. And  we  do  not  fail  here  to  convey  our  sympathy 
also  with  your  dutiful  son,  who,  though  young  and  unaccus- 
tomed to  privations,  yet  braved  them  when  called  to  do  so  in 
order  that  you  might  not  be  too  much  anxious  for  his  sake, 
and  so  add  sorrow  upon  sorrow. 

One  of  the  great  obstacles  in  the  way  of  Christianity 
in  the  mission  field  is  the  dark  and  superstitious 
customs  which  are  part  and  parcel  of  the  lives  of  the 
people.  For  generations  these  practices  have  taken 
hold  on  the  consciences  of  the  heathen,  who  are  priest- 
ridden  and  live  in  daily  mortal  fear.  In  some  in- 
stances, as  regards  animal  sacrifices,  there  is  much 
that  is  akin  to  the  Levitical  usage  among  the  ancient 
Jews,  and  the  Bishop  notices  this  fact  as  a  foundation 
to  work  upon  in  preaching  the  doctrine  of  sacrifice 
and  substitution  "  through  the  precious  blood  of 
Christ  as  of  a  lamb  without  blemish  and  without 
spot."  He  refers  to  this  in  giving  his  clergy  some 
valuable  advice  in  his  first  charge  : 

Whoever  observes  the  rite  of  animal  sacrifices  as  performed 
by  the  heathen  in  this  country  cannot  but  be  struck  with  the 
similarity,  in  many  cases,  though  rudely  done,  with  the 
Levitical  Institution.  For  instance,  the  application  of  the 
blood  of  the  victims  on  the  person  of  the  offerer,  or  on  his 
forehead,  with  a  tuft  of  the  hair  of  the  beast  or  feathers  of  the 
bird,  most  frequently  of  the  pigeon,  attached  to  the  blood  on 
the  forehead,  which  must  remain  on  him  till  it  dries  and  falls 
off ;  the  application  of  the  blood  on  the  door  and  doorposts 
and  on  the  lintels  ;  the  share  of  the  priests  ;  and  the  parts 
which  must  be  taken  out  into  the  highway  to  be  exposed  to 
the  evil  spirits,  intended  to  be  pacified  or  propitiated,  remind- 


FETISH    HOUSE   AT   AXGIA.MA 


To  face  page  230 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  231 

ing  one  especially  of  the  portion  of  the  burnt  offering  whose 
ashes  must  be  conveyed  to  some  place  without  the  camp, 
and  as  we  have  lately  discovered  at  Onitsha,  the  yearly  human 
sacrifice  for  the  sin  of  the  nation.  All  these  cannot  but  lead 
one  back  to  conclude  that  these  rites  must  have  their  remote 
origin  from  imitation  of  the  Levitical  institution  of  sacrifices, 
which  have  degenerated  as  they  were  handed  down  from  the 
tradition  of  the  fathers. 


But  it  may  be  said  of  some  of  their  customs  that 
they  have  no  relation  whatever  to  such  a  sacred 
principle,  but  are  merely  the  outgrowth  of  cruel 
ideas,  springing  apparently  from  most  trivial  grounds, 
but  none  the  less  disastrous  to  human  life  and  happi- 
ness. Take,  for  example,  the  destruction  of  twin 
children,  which  practice,  however,  varies  in  different 
localities,  from  the  Brass  and  Idzo  districts,  where 
it  is  usual  to  spare  the  firstborn  and  destroy  the  second  ; 
the  Bonny  and  Ibo  districts,  where  both  children  are 
relentlessly  killed,  and  the  district  of  Old  Calabar, 
where  not  only  are  both  children  destroyed,  but  the 
mother  is  banished  from  her  native  village,  and  never 
allowed  to  return.  And  yet,  strange  to  say,  in  the 
Yoruba  country,  of  which  the  Bishop  was  a  native, 
twins  were  the  object  of  worship  and  reverence. 

This  frightful  custom  became  a  very  serious  diffi- 
culty at  the  Bonny  mission  station.  The  missionaries 
were  made  aware  of  it  by  seeing  numbers  of  women 
coming  to  the  mission  yard  to  take  water  from  the 
well.  On  inquiry  information  was  given  that  a  birth 
of  twins  was  the  occasion  when  all  the  water  in  the 
pots  during  that  night  or  day  in  town  is  to  be  poured 
out,  and  even  the  food  cooked  is  to  be  thrown  away. 


232  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

Hence  "  a  horrible  thing  is  committed  in  the  land." 
The  poor  unfortunate  mother  is  openly  abused  for 
having  insulted  the  gods,  because  it  is  in  the  nature 
of  animals  to  beget  more  than  one.  On  the  very 
mention  of  the  name  "  twin  "  the  poor  superstitious 
women  generally  whirl  their  hands  over  their  heads 
and  snap  their  fingers  with  horror,  meaning,  "  This 
evil  must  not  rest  on  me." 

The  missionaries  realized  that  an  attack  must  be 
made  on  this  shocking  custom,  the  national  super- 
stition with  its  attendant  miseries.  So  the  Bishop 
took  up  the  subject  in  the  King's  courts,  in  the  presence 
of  the  chiefs,  and  quietly  but  firmly  exposed  the 
foolishness  and  evil  of  such  practices.  They  had 
their  answer  ready,  however,  "  It  is  our  country's 
fashion."  On  the  following  Sunday  the  Bishop 
preached  from  Genesis  xxv.  23  :  "  And  the  Lord 
said  unto  her.  Two  nations  are  in  thy  womb."  After 
this  very  explicit  discourse  the  crusade  against  the 
custom  began  in  right  earnest.  Everywhere,  in 
meetings,  visitations,  prayers,  pulpit,  social  talks, 
this  evil  was  roundly  denounced.  At  last,  in  answer 
to  many  fervent  and  effectual  prayers  to  God,  a 
great  event  occurred.  The  King  and  chiefs  one  day 
held  a  solemn  council  upon  the  question,  and  passed 
a  law  that  as  the  national  constitution  will  never 
recognize  the  existence  of  twins  in  the  town,  any  one 
hereafter  happening  to  be  so  unfortunate  should 
call  the  missionaries  to  take  the  children  away  to 
the  mission  station,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant, 
where  they  shall  make  themselves  solely  responsible 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  233 

for  the  vengeance  of  the  offended  gods.  This  amiable 
piece  of  legislation,  which  adroitly  kept  the  custom, 
but  transferred  the  penalty  for  its  disregard,  was  a 
bit  of  mother-wit  on  the  part  of  these  African  sages. 
But  the  missionaries  did  not  mind  ;  they  were  not 
scared  by  the  thunderbolts  of  these  deities,  and  they 
gladly  sent  for  their  watchers  to  be  on  the  spot  and 
ready  when  the  double  blessing  visited  any  house. 
The  juju  priest,  however,  disagreeing  with  the  enact- 
ment, had  his  pickets  posted  too,  and  managed  to 
achieve  a  massacre  of  the  innocents  like  a  little  Herod 
before  the  rescuers  came.  The  following  instance  will 
show  with  what  difficulty  this  legal  act  of  mercy  could 
be  made  operative. 

One  morning  about  five  o'clock  there  came  a  rap 
at  the  mission  house  door,  and  two  converts  had 
come  to  give  the  information  that  in  a  certain  house 
a  woman  had  just  given  birth  to  twins.  The 
mission  party  at  once  sallied  forth  ;  two  pastors  were 
sent  indoors  to  protect  the  infants,  while  the  son  of 
the  Bishop,  the  present  Archdeacon,  ran  to  the  most 
influential  chief,  Oko  Jumbo,  and  told  him  how  he 
had  come  to  take  charge  of  twins  born  that  morning, 
according  to  the  new  legal  arrangement.  The  old 
chief  was  not,  however,  to  be  hurried,  and  took  time 
to  consult  with  his  fellow-senators,  and  finally  gave 
permission,  sending  an  aged  and  extremely  nervous 
woman  to  assist.  The  secret  had  been  well  kept  up 
to  now,  but  at  seven  o'clock,  while  the  hapless  little 
waifs  were  being  prepared  for  the  journey,  a  wild 
mob  of  fifty  men,  armed  with  clubs  and  cutlasses, 


234  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

led  by  this  particular  juju  priest,  began  to  belabour 
the  door.  Not  a  moment  was  to  be  lost.  The  pastors 
seized  the  babies  and  jumped  through  a  back  window, 
while  the  future  Archdeacon  stood  by  the  frightened 
mother,  and  met  pluckily  the  inrush  of  the  rioters. 
Baulked  of  their  prey,  and  afraid  to  tackle  this  stalwart 
defender  of  the  weak,  they  rushed  out  again,  and 
gave  chase  ;  but  by  this  time  the  rescuers  had  reached 
home,  and  after  howling  round  the  mission  fence, 
which  they  dare  not  pass,  they  departed,  leaving 
the  infants  in  the  care  of  Mrs.  Crowther,  the  wife  of 
the  mother's  valiant  champion.  It  is  good  to  know 
that  at  night  the  poor  horrified  mother  was  also 
brought  into  the  mission  premises  to  look  after  her 
own  offspring,  one  of  which  had  died,  chiefly  through 
the  trembling  carelessness  of  the  nervous  old  woman, 
but  the  other  grew  up  a  well-favoured  little  maiden, 
baptized  by  the  name  of  Theodora  Kezia  Powell, 
and  afterwards,  in  brighter  and  safer  days,  returned 
with  her  mother  to  Bonny,  heartily  welcomed  by 
both  Christians  and  heathen. 

For  by  degrees  the  leaven  of  this  humane  influence 
began  to  leaven  the  whole  lump  of  Bonny  society. 
The  next  occasion  gave  no  trouble,  as  both  children 
were  brought  safely  to  the  mission,  and  presently 
the  now  happy  event  took  place  in  the  household  of 
an  influential  chief,  and  he,  with  the  spirit  of  a  father 
in  him,  refused  either  to  have  them  destroyed  or  even 
taken  to  the  mission  station.  So  that  in  due  time 
the  thing  once  denounced  became  a  popular  privilege, 
and  no  home  or  clan  without  twins  was  looked  upon 
as  having  a  full  share  of  heavenly  blessing  ! 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  235 

But  the  best  of  the  story  is  in  its  sequel.  This 
cruel  juju  priest  became  himself  a  baptized  convert 
and  full  communicant,  and  through  his  influence  a 
brother  priest,  whose  duty  it  was  to  take  care  of 
the  national  house  of  skulls,  threw  up  his  priestly 
office,  and  position  too,  and  accepted  Christianity. 
Other  priests  joined  them,  and  the  Archdeacon  makes 
a  note  in  narrating  these  facts  :  "  Such  are  some  of 
'  the  Lord's  doings,  and  they  are  marvellous  in  our 
eyes.'  We  give  God  the  praise,  and  pray  that  we, 
who  are  the  privileged  servants  in  the  field,  may 
recognize  more  and  more  the  influencing  power  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  and  may  have  grace  to  keep  us 
humble,  knowing  that  it  is  not  by  might,  nor  by 
power,  but  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord." 

A  few  years  later,  during  one  of  his  journeys  up 
the  Niger,  the  Bishop  left  Rabbah  and  crossed  on  foot 
to  Ilorin,  and  on  leaving  he  halted  for  the  night  at 
a  village  called  Ogbomosho.  A  very  interesting 
incident  occurred  here,  of  which  the  Bishop  makes 
a  point  of  specially  noting  in  his  journal.  It  appears 
that  ten  years  before  some  Baptist  missionaries 
from  America  started  a  work  in  this  place,  but  the 
Civil  War  in  their  own  country  compelled  them  to 
give  it  up  and  return.  Doubtless  these  good  men, 
who  had  so  Httle  time  in  which  to  sow  the  good  seed, 
would  afterwards  grieve  over  a  fruitless  effort  of  failure. 
This  is  what  the  Bishop  says  : 

As  soon  as  we  were  lodged  one  of  our  party,  who  had 
visited  this  place  some  years  ago  and  was  acquainted  with 
the   American   missionaries,    was   anxious   to   see   what   had 


236  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

become  of  their  station,  that  he  might  be  able  to  say  from 
actual  knowledge  at  his  return  to  the  coast  ;  so  he  went  to 
see.  He  soon  returned  to  our  lodging  with  surprise  at  what 
he  had  seen  and  observed  :  the  station  was  in  total  ruins, 
but  in  a  corner  of  the  premises  a  hut  was  erected  and  screened 
with  mats,  in  the  verandah  of  which  he  observed  a  small 
group  of  people  with  books  in  hand,  as  if  they  were  holding 
divine  worship.  As  he  could  not  speak  with  them  (because  of 
the  language),  he  returned  to  tell  me  what  he  had  discovered. 
He  was  followed  by  a  few  of  the  men  at  prayers  to  our  lodg- 
ing, who  told  me  that  they  were  converts  of  the  American 
Baptist  Missionary  Society  ;  that  since  they  had  been  left  to 
themselves  they  had  been  in  the  habit  of  meeting  together  on 
the  Lord's  Day  to  keep  prayers,  as  they  were  met  that  morn- 
ing ;  so  I  promised  to  be  with  them  in  the  afternoon  if  they 
would  send  someone  to  conduct  me  to  the  ruined  station, 
which  they  did,  when  the  gentleman  who  was  there  in  the 
morning  accompanied  me.  On  my  arrival  I  found  the  dwell- 
ing-house and  chapel  gone  to  ruins,  but  some  of  the  doors  and 
window  shutters,  and  such  other  building  materials  as  might 
be  of  use,  were  collected  together  under  a  shed,  together  with 
such  household  utensils  as  tables,  chairs,  pots,  saucepans,  etc., 
which  stood  the  weather,  were  carefully  packed  under  the 
shed,  with  as  many  benches  as  were  not  in  use. 

In  the  meantime  a  large  group  of  spectators  gathered 
while  the  converts  were  placing  the  benches  in  order  to  sit  on. 
Having  taken  my  seat,  I  asked  for  any  book  they  were  pos- 
sessed of,  when  the  first  edition  of  St.  Luke,  with  Acts  and 
Romans  in  Yoruba,  was  handed  to  me  ;  so  I  addressed  them 
from  Romans  i.  9-13,  as  expressing  the  wishes  of  their  mission- 
aries and  Christian  friends  at  large  on  their  behalf  that  they 
were  not  forgotten,  but  hoped  that  God  would  remove  the 
obstacles  in  the  way  of  fresh  access  to  them  in  due  time. 

There  were  some  young  persons  among  them  who  had 
been  taught  to  read,  who  always  read  portions  of  God's  Word 
when,  in  turn,  the  elder  ones  engaged  in  prayer.  Wishing  to 
know  how  many  they  were,  I  took  their  names  in  my  pocket- 
book — fifteen  males  and  seven  females.  Of  all,  only  three 
females  had  been  baptized  ;  but  all  determined  to  adhere  to 
the  religion  which  they  found  to  be  the  truth,  which  they 
would  not  change  for  any  other.  Having  given  them  some 
word  of  counsel  and  advice,  I  encouraged  them  to  be  steadfast 
in  their  Christian  profession. 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  237 

I  provided  them  with  some  cloth  to  enable  them  to  make 
a  better  shed  for  a  safer  keeping  of  those  building  materials 
saved  from  the  ruins,  hoping  in  some  future  days  we  may  be 
able  to  make  some  use  of  them.  Here  we  began  to  meet 
traces  of  Christian  missionaries  in  the  interior  among  heathen 
population. 

It  is  now  some  ten  years  since  the  missionaries  had  visited 
this  town  ;  their  houses  and  chapel  have  gone  to  ruins,  but 
their  spiritual  work  survives  the  wreck.  Here  they  are,  like 
good  plants,  struggling  to  recover  their  vitality  in  the  midst 
of  choking  thorns  and  bramble  bushes,  yet  they  are  not  over- 
grown. Twenty  native  Christians  among  a  large  population 
of  about  fifty  thousand  maintain  their  stand  in  the  very 
ruins  of  their  missionaries'  station.  Is  it  credible  ?  Come  and 
see.  They  were  discovered  this  Sunday  morning  by  one  of 
our  fellow-travellers,  himself  a  sceptic  in  the  results  of  mission- 
ary work  among  the  heathen.  He  first  brought  me  the  news 
of  having  seen  a  praying  people.  He  accompanied  me  back 
to  the  place,  and  was  a  witness  when  I  addressed  and  prayed 
with  them,  when  these  solitary  converts  resolved  to  hold 
fast  their  Christian  profession  in  the  midst  of  all  disadvan- 
tages. I  should  like  objectors  to  Christian  missions  to  the 
African  heathen  to  say  what  could  have  been  the  worldly 
inducements  held  out  to  these  converts,  since  left  by  their 
missionaries  for  a  period  of  ten  years,  which  made  them  stand 
steadfast  to  the  doctrine  which  they  had  been  taught.  They 
had  weathered  the  shock  of  persecution  from  relatives  and 
former  associates  in  idolatry  from  which  they  had  separated 
themselves  ;  no  missionaries  to  comfort,  encourage,  or  sup- 
port them  in  those  trying  hours  ;  no  superior  buildings  to 
boast  of,  but  instead  of  which  they  struggle  to  maintain  their 
new  faith  in  an  humble  shed  among  the  very  ruins.  Can  all 
these  things  be  ?  The  facts  speak  for  themselves.  The 
member  of  the  sceptic  school,  who  has  witnessed  the  sight 
in  the  interior,  must  set  his  seal  to  the  truthfulness  of  these 
results  of  missionaries'  operations,  which  he  has  seen  in  the 
course  of  his  travels. 

It  is  no  worldly  inducement,  but  the  power  of  the  Spirit 
by  the  preached  Word. 

"  My  Word  shall  not  return  unto  Me  void,  it  shall  accom- 
plish that  which  I  please,  it  shall  prosper  in  the  thing  whereto 
I  sent  it." 


238  THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED 

Fifteen  years  after  this  visit  of  the  Bishop  a  Wes- 
leyan  missionary,  the  Rev.  J.  T.  F.  Halhgey,  also  came 
to  Ogbomosho,  and  had  a  very  interesting  interview 
with  the  chief  relative  to  estabUshing  a  mission 
station,  and  asking  for  the  favour  of  a  plot  of  ground. 
He  told  the  missionary  that  he  would  think  over  it 
all  through  the  night,  and  see  him  in  the  morning  to 
give  his  decision.  When  the  time  came  it  was  pointed 
out  to  him  how  much  better  it  would  be  for  him  to 
give  up  his  idols  and  accept  Christ  as  his  Saviour ; 
but  he  shook  his  head.  He  lifted  his  hand  to  his 
crisp  iron-grey  hair,  and  said  : 

"  When  we  get  old  we  do  not  care  to  change  our 
religion,  and  I  shall  die  believing  in  the  gods  my 
fathers  trusted.  But  my  children  and  my  people, 
they  are  young,  and  will  like  a  new  religion,  and  will 
do  as  you  say.  Let  them  follow  the  white  man." 
He  then  took  the  missionary,  attended  by  much 
noise  of  horn  and  tomtoms,  to  a  point  where  the 
country  could  be  seen,  and  directing  his  finger  to 
a  hill,  quite  a  mile  long,  gave  it  for  the  mission.  He 
was  thanked  for  such  great  liberahty,  and  being 
assured  that  only  a  small  piece  of  land  was  requisite, 
he  answered,  "  When  my  people  trust  your  Christ 
they  will  want  to  come  and  live  near  the  missionary." 

It  is  rare  for  an  old  chief  to  change  his  religion,  but 
one  who  lived  at  Ilesa  is  an  instance  of  what  the 
gospel  can  do.  This  old  chief  died  in  1891,  having  for 
some  considerable  time  embraced  Christianity,  and 
in  his  last  illness  requested  the  native  minister  to 
attend  him,  so  that  he  might  hear  the  Bible  and  pray. 


THE  BISHOP  KIDNAPPED  239 

Five  days  before  he  breathed  his  last  he  said  :  "A  few 
days  more  and  I  shall  be  with  God,  through  Christ, 
who  has  washed  away  my  sins  in  His  blood."  He 
then  thanked  the  minister  for  his  reading  and  talk, 
and  died  a  most  triumphant  death,  surrounded  by  his 
beheving  children. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

IN   LABOURS   MORE   ABUNDANT 

THE  difficulties  which  beset  the  path  of  missions 
among  the  heathen  are  manifold,  and  especially 
do  they  hinder  where  pioneer  work  is  concerned. 
To  those  who  enter  into  other  men's  labours  and 
build  upon  foundations  already  laid,  the  work,  how- 
ever praiseworthy,  is  not  so  difficult,  for  the  neck 
is  broken  of  opposition  and  persecution.  It  is  quite 
possible,  of  course,  that  fresh  hindrances  may  crop 
up,  and  there  are  trials  in  the  work  of  consohdating 
not  to  be  ignored.  But  in  the  first  instance  the  brunt 
is  borne.  There  is  the  solid  barrier  of  long-established 
customs,  a  religion  which  touches  every  detail  of 
human  life  and  the  vested  interests  of  its  priests 
and  witch-doctor,  who  raise  again  the  old  cry  of 
"  Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians "  in  another 
language  and  with  another  title  of  the  god.  Then 
there  is  the  secular  power,  represented  by  kings  and 
chiefs,  dressed  in  a  little  brief  but  very  despotic 
authority,  interlocked  at  all  points  with  native  cus- 
toms and  regard  for  guardian  or  opposing  deities, 
mixed  with  the  human  vices  of  jealousy,  envy,  and 

240 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        241 

greed  of  gain  and  power.  It  is  obvious  that  the  former 
obstacle  admits  of  no  compromise,  and  the  latter 
is  an  uncertain  quantity  to  depend  upon,  and  de- 
mands the  greatest  tact  on  the  part  of  the  missionary. 
Then  there  are  the  inevitable  complications  which 
appear  in  the  wake  of  the  march  of  purely  commercial 
interests,  when  perchance  the  flag  is  insulted,  traders 
suffer,  and  severe  and  necessary  reprisals  are  made 
by  the  white  man's  Government.  Many  other  diffi- 
culties might  easily  be  quoted,  but  these,  closely 
affihated,  were  always  much  in  evidence  in  the  history 
of  the  Niger  mission,  which  the  Bishop  built  up  with 
such  patience  and  pains. 

He  was  no  mean  diplomatist,  and  again  and  again 
his  presence  saved  the  situation,  not  only  for  the 
present,  but  as  regards  the  safety  and  success  of 
the  future.  He  found  himself  often  standing  between 
contending  tribes,  trying  to  act  as  peacemaker,  when 
they  would  let  him,  facing  frequently  some  blood- 
thirsty chief,  and,  hke  another  Elijah,  denouncing 
the  barbarities  of  this  African  Ahab,  and  warning 
him  of  Divine  wrath  and  judgment.  On  other  oc- 
casions, as  we  have  seen,  the  Bishop  found  it  very 
difficult  to  explain  that  he  was  not  associated  for 
personal  profit  with  commerce,  and  this  became  still 
more  necessary  because  he  was  so  much  in  sympathy 
with  anything  which  would  develop  the  material 
prosperity  of  his  country.  In  his  journals,  with 
their  picturesque  statement  of  facts,  he  has  little 
to  say  of  his  own  feelings  and  struggles,  but  between 
the  lines  it  is  not  difficult  to  discern  that  indomitable 


242        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

perseverance,  scrupulous  rectitude  of  character,  and 
utter  disregard  of  self  which  made  up  the  man.  The 
Bishop  seemed  to  have  no  idle  moments,  and  he  always 
had  a  knack  of  knowing  what  to  do  in  an  emergency. 
Singularly  free  from  fear,  he  was  patient  and  tender 
to  the  utmost.  He  never  seemed  to  lose  heart, 
though  few  men  had  more  reason  to  despair.  He 
knew  his  converts  as  none  other  did,  and,  like  a  true 
shepherd,  cared  for  and  did  his  best  for  his  flock, 
many  of  them  very  weak  and  tender  sheep,  needing 
the  crook  to  preserve  them  from  perilous  pastures. 

We  see  him  in  anxiety  for  Lokoja,  fearing  it  might 
have  to  be  abandoned,  for  Masaba  was  in  an  unfriendly 
mood,  and  this  note  is  made  in  his  journals  :  "  The 
silent  ejaculation  of  Nehemiah  before  Artaxerxes, 
'  Grant  him  mercy  in  the  sight  of  this  man  '  (Neh. 
I.  ii),  was  most  applicable  in  my  case,  and  was  fre- 
quently offered."  Then  after  visiting  Egga,  with  its 
pestilential  filthiness  and  many  disagreeable  ex- 
periences, the  Bishop  reaches  Bida,  and  finds  to  his 
joy  that  the  King  has  adopted  quite  another  attitude, 
and  has  himself  suggested  that  the  mission  should 
remain  at  Lokoja,  where  better  order  amongst  the 
people  shall  be  established. 

We  were  agreeably  surprised  to  hear  this  difficult  subject 
solved  by  the  King  himself  before  we  had  time  to  broach  it. 
Thus  the  dark  gloom  which  overshadowed  the  prospects  of 
Lokoja  was  blown  away  as  the  morning  fog  before  the  rising 
sun,  even  before  we  had  opened  our  lips  to  protest  against 
the  order.  Thus  we  have  been  relieved  of  our  anxieties  and 
doubts.  This  is  an  instance  of  an  answer  to  prayer  :  "  Before 
they  call  I  will  answer  ;  and  while  they  are  yet  speaking,  I 
will  hear."     The  Lord  has  graciously  interposed  in  behalf  of 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT         243 

His  own  cause.  The  clouds  we  so  much  dreaded  have  broken 
in  blessings  on  our  heads.  "  The  king's  heart  is  in  the  hand 
of  the  Lord,  as  the  rivers  of  water.  He  turneth  it  whithersoever 
He  will."  How  often  has  this  His  prerogative  been  pleaded 
at  the  throne  of  grace  in  this  case  !  He  has  shown  His  readi- 
ness to  help  in  every  time  of  need,  yet  we  need  again  and  again 
to  pray  :    "  Lord,  increase  our  faith." 

The  element  of  the  ridiculous  frequently  enters 
where  the  question  of  gifts  to  royal  persons  in  Africa 
is  concerned,  and  when  some  presents  were  made 
by  Lieutenant  Molyneaux,  who  landed  from  his 
vessel,  the  Pioneer,  on  behalf  of  the  Government  and 
the  West  Africa  Company,  the  sable  monarch  was 
dumbfounded  by  their  variety  and  value.  A  huge 
looking-glass,  five  feet  by  four  feet,  which  must  have 
had  miraculous  escapes  in  transit,  was  exposed  at 
the  gate  of  the  palace,  and  reflected  hundreds  of 
countenances  grinning  with  wonder  and  delight. 
But  the  thing  which  captivated  the  king's  fancy  and 
interest  was  a  plan  on  paper  of  the  Suez  Canal,  which 
the  naval  officer  did  his  best,  through  the  intervention 
of  the  Bishop,  to  explain.  The  principal  advantage 
gained  by  this  gift  was  to  impress  upon  the  King's 
mind  that  the  Viceroy  of  Egypt,  a  Mohammedan  of 
eminence,  should  be  actually  working  with  a  great 
Christian  power,  and  asking  it  to  execute  this  great 
work  for  the  benefit  of  his  country  and  the  commerce 
of  the  world.     The  Bishop  writes  : 

This  people,  being  shut  up  in  the  interior  of  Africa,  knowing 
little  more  of  their  religion  than  scraps  of  the  Koran,  which 
they  repeat  by  rote  as  they  perform  their  ablutions  and  say 
their  prayers,  look  down  with  bigoted  pride  and  contempt  on 
all  those  who  do  not  conform  with  them  in  these  holy  acts  ; 


244        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

but  the  fact  of  the  Mohammedan  and  Christian  powers  com- 
bining to  promote  the  general  interest  of  the  world  in  the 
centre  of  Mohammedanism  and  seat  of  learning,  has  tended 
very  much  to  disarm  this  poor  ignorant  people  of  their  pride 
and  contempt  and  to  cool  down  their  bigotry,  which  has  led 
them  to  regard  themselves  as  the  holiest  people  in  the  world. 

The  Bishop's  presents  from  the  Church  Missionary 
Society  comprised  some  oval  meat  dishes,  with  highly 
polished  covers,  and  he  was  at  much  pains  to  explain 
to  the  royal  recipient  thereof  how  the  gentlemen  in 
the  white  man's  land  use  them,  and  that  the  covers 
kept  the  flies  from  the  meat,  and  this  would  be  an 
advantage,  seeing  that  Bida  swarmed  with  these 
insects.  The  King  nodded  his  head,  but  said  his  idea 
about  the  use  of  the  cover  was  different.  He  coolly 
screwed  off  the  handle  from  the  back,  then  set  it 
upside  down,  saying  :  "I  shall  have  the  holes  of  the 
screws  stopped  up,  and  inside  this  cover,  which  is 
deep  and  wide,  I  shall  put  my  food,  and  eat  out  of  it ; 
the  dish  may  take  place  of  the  cover." 

"  We  could  not  help  laughing,"  said  the  Bishop, 
"  at  this  inversion  of  the  uses  of  the  covers  and  dishes  ; 
but  as  he  would  enjoy  them  better  that  way,  we  said 
he  was  perfectly  at  liberty  to  suit  his  o-wti  idea  about 
their  uses."  The  picture  of  this  black  King,  sitting 
on  the  ground  before  his  big  looking-glass,  eating 
out  of  an  inverted  dish  cover,  while  studying  the 
plans  of  the  Suez  Canal,  is  comical  beyond  words. 

When  the  Bishop  returned  to  Lokoja  he  found 
the  Christian  converts  very  dispirited,  but  he  cheered 
their  hearts  by  telling  them  what  had  taken  place, 
and  how  the  King  had  promised  not  to  disturb  the 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        245 

mission,  and  intended  to  prevent  any  more  outrages 
of  his  soldiers.  Such  good  news  greatly  heartened 
the  flock. 

I  preached  in  the  church  on  the  mission  premises  from 
Psalm  1.  15:  "Call  upon  Me  in  the  day  of  trouble,"  etc. 
Some  of  the  Mohammedans  who  were  present  remained  till 
our  little  preaching  place  began  to  be  full.  As  some  poor 
heathens,  whom  they  despised,  were  taking  their  seats  near 
them  they  began  to  be  uneasy,  as  much  as  to  say  :  "  Come 
not  near  unto  us,  for  we  are  holier  than  you."  On  a  sudden 
they  started  out  and  went  away,  but,  however,  a  few  remained 
to  the  end.  An  elderly  looking  man  was  particularly  attentive 
throughout  the  service.  This  self-righteous  people  would  be 
glad  to  have  separate  seats  assigned  them,  but  this  cannot  be 
allowed  in  a  Christian  church,  where  all  are  one  in  Christ 
Jesus,  through  whom  we  have  access  by  one  Spirit  unto  the 
Father.  We  rejoiced  to  see  them  enter  our  places  of  worship 
and  lend  an  ear  to  our  preaching,  but  we  are  forbidden  to  feed 
their  pride  by  indulging  their  erroneous  notion  of  holiness. 
In  the  afternoon  I  preached  in  the  out-station,  where  there 
was  a  congregation  of  fifty  people,  some  of  the  deserters  being 
returned.  I  then  directed  their  minds  to  the  Lamb  of  God 
which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world.  These  were  strangers 
from  the  interior  who  had  never  attended  any  place  of  wor- 
ship before,  with  whom  I  had  interesting  conversation  on  the 
folly  of  idolatrous  worship  after  service.  Though  I  was  looked 
upon  as  an  extraordinary  person,  who  could  have  such  an 
influence  with  the  King  to  restore  their  companions  who  had 
deserted  without  any  further  apprehension.  I  endeavoured 
to  convince  them  that  we  were  instruments  in  the  hand  of 
God,  through  whom  He  was  pleased  to  work.  "  Not  unto  us, 
O  Lord,  not  unto  us  ;  but  unto  Thy  name  give  praise,  for 
Thy  mercy  and  Thy  truth's  sake."  The  heathen  have  not 
been  able  to  say  in  this  instance,  "  Where  is  now  thy  God  ?  " 
for  He  has  manifested  His  power  among  them. 

The  Bishop  gives  us,  in  visiting  Onitsha  station, 
some  interesting  details  respecting  the  rules  and 
customs  which  hedge  about  the  dignity  of  a  king. 
He  arrived  on  a  great  holiday,  when  the  King  made 


246        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

his  annual  appearance  amongst  his  people,  amid 
great  merriment  and  unhmited  consumption  of  yams. 
His  Majesty  is  never  allowed  to  pass  beyond  a  certain 
limit  from  the  date  of  his  coronation  till  his  death, 
otherwise  a  human  sacrifice  would  be  necessary  to 
propitiate  the  gods.  This  prescribed  area  extends 
to  4950  square  yards  of  ground,  on  which  his  rickety 
mud  hovel,  called  his  palace,  and  the  equally  miserable 
huts  of  his  many  wives  are  erected.  As  the  Bishop 
humorously  points  out,  he  is  like  a  harmless  animal 
in  a  zoological  garden,  roaming  inside  his  fences  at 
pleasure,  but  no  further.  After  he  is  crowned  no 
attempt  is  made  to  instruct  him  as  to  his  country  and 
people ;  he  knows  absolutely  nothing  beyond  his 
fence.  Although  the  station  had  been  established 
for  over  thirteen  years  at  Onitsha,  the  King  had  never 
seen  any  of  the  premises,  neither  house,  church, 
store,  nor  steamer.  It  is  against  the  law  that  he  should 
see  the  river,  or  a  boat  or  canoe,  which  may  resemble 
a  coffin,  lest  it  should  hasten  his  death.  Those  im- 
mediately near  him  make  him  the  dupe  of  their  slanders 
and  designs,  and  often  influence  him  quite  easily 
against  the  work  of  the  mission.  But  some  of  the 
chief  ladies  of  the  palace,  including  the  King's  own 
daughter,  having  been  converted  and  baptized,  an 
opportunity  was  given  for  the  Bishop  to  preach  the 
Gospel  in  the  royal  apartments.  He  took  the  op- 
portunity to  store  the  King's  mind  with  Bible  truths, 
upon  which  he  would  have  plenty  of  time  to  meditate 
afterwards.  He  also  opened  the  new  church  at  Onit- 
sha.    It  was  simplicity  itself,  and  would  have  dis- 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        247 

armed  the  most  captious  critic  by  its  plain  frugalit}-. 
The  temporary  bamboo  mat  roof  screened  the  floor 
of  mud,  a  plain  wooden  rail  divided  the  chancel  from 
the  body  of  the  church,  two  side  seats  were  fixed 
up  by  slips  of  boards  nailed  to  bamboo  sticks,  rows 
of  low  mud  walls  served  for  seating  the  worshippers, 
and  some  iron  cask  hoops  with  bits  of  candle  stuck 
thereon  made  a  brilhant  illumination  at  the  evening 
service.  The  collection  from  the  faithful  consisted 
of  a  small  piece  of  leaf  tobacco,  a  bunch  of  trade  beads, 
a  reel  of  cotton,  some  fish-hooks,  and  a  silk  pocket- 
handkerchief.  Within  these  mud  walls,  by  the  light 
of  those  twinkling  candles,  the  Bishop,  in  his  surplice, 
preaches  and  prays,  and  the  hymn,  "  Arm  of  the  Lord, 
awake,  awake !  "  in  a  strange  language,  is  sung 
without  any  musical  accompaniment.  It  seems  a  little 
thing  and  insignificant,  but  it  is  a  little  light  shining 
in  a  very  dark  place,  for  within  a  few  yards  of  it  a  day  or 
two  afterwards  an  innocent  girl  was  dragged  to  death 
by  the  feet,  for  two  miles  of  agony,  to  atone  for  the 
sins  of  the  people.  This  was  done  at  dead  of  night, 
but  the  Bishop's  son,  Dandeson,  with  a  lantern, 
discovered  the  outrage,  and  saw  the  poor  child  just 
dying  from  her  wounds.     The  Bishop  writes  : 

I  was  afterwards  told  that  the  King  was  afraid  lest  I  should 
witness  the  deed  and  spread  a  bad  report  of  him  ;  that  he 
changed  the  time,  which  was  usually  daylight,  into  the  dark 
hours  of  the  night.  I  hope  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when 
the  fear  of  man,  who  is  only  a  servant,  will  be  changed  to  the 
fear  of  Him  who  has  employed  man  to  proclaim  from  His 
Word  that  God  Jehovah  alone  is  to  be  feared  and  to  be  had 
in  reverence  of  all  His  reasonable  creatures. 


248         IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

At  this  time  the  Franco-German  War  was  in  pro- 
gress, and  the  echoes  of  that  dire  conflict  were  heard 
in  far  Africa.  But  it  is  curious  to  note  in  the  corre- 
spondence of  the  Bishop  that  a  quite  mistaken  idea 
prevailed.  Whether  the  news  was  purposely  dis- 
torted, in  the  first  instance,  to  diminish  British  prestige, 
it  is  impossible  to  say  ;  but  these  chiefs  had  every- 
where given  out  to  the  people  that  it  was  the  English 
who  were  being  defeated  by  the  French  armies,  and 
as  a  consequence  that  anti-slavery  natives  would  now 
be  powerless  to  interfere,  and  under  the  flag  of  the 
all-victorious  French  the  slave  trade  would  revive 
and  gain  its  old  ascendancy.  This  information,  of 
course,  greatly  excited  the  tribes  of  the  interior, 
and  was  easily  credited  by  some  to  whom  the  wish 
was  father  to  the  thought,  and  spies  were  sent  down 
to  the  coast  at  Lagos  to  have  the  tidings  confirmed. 
Wherever  the  Bishop  travefled  up  the  Niger  he  was 
beset  with  a  crowd  of  anxious  inquirers,  to  whom  he 
had  to  give  the  assurance  of  the  truth  of  the  war. 

On  the  death  of  one  of  his  native  helpers  the  Bishop 
felt  that  a  character  like  that  of  Francis  Langley 
should  have  more  than  a  passing  reference,  not  only 
because  he  was  such  a  devout  Christian  and  faithful 
worker,  but  as  an  instance  of  the  efficiency  of  the 
negro  in  the  work  of  preaching  the  Gospel.  Langley, 
like  the  Bishop,  was  a  liberated  slave,  landed  at  Sierra 
Leone,  where,  as  an  apprentice,  he  worked  hard  for 
a  trading  merchant,  instructing  himself  in  his  spare 
time  in  reading  and  writing,  until  he  had,  with  the 
additional    aid    of    the    Sunday-school    and    evening 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        249 

classes,  gained  a  fair  education.     He  then  secured  a 
good  and  rising  position  in  Government  service  at 
Freetown.     Then  came  his  call  to  the  Niger  mission. 
The  need  of  workers  there  much  impressed  him,  and, 
in  spite  of  the  Governor  having  pointed  out  that  he 
was  giving  up  what  might  become  a  lucrative  post 
for  one  of  personal  peril  among  the  uncivilized  heathen, 
the  young  man  made  his  choice  for  the  service  of  God, 
and  in  due  time,  with  his  wife  and  family,  was  the 
solitary    representative    of   the    mission    at    Onitsha. 
When  that  station  was  at  its  worst  stage  of  perse- 
cution his  Hfe  was  attempted  one  dark  night,  and  for 
a  long  time  he  had  to  watch  sleeplessly  lest  he  should 
be  secretly  murdered.     But  his  pluck  and  faithfulness 
to    duty    won    over    even    his    enemies.     A    terrible 
epidemic  broke  out  while  he  was  working  at  an  out- 
station,  and  every  one  fled  to  Onitsha  ;   but  Langley 
and  his  family  stuck  to  their  post,  exposed  to  enraged 
cannibals,  and  for  ten  weary  months  he  gave  instruc- 
tion and  help  to  the  many  inquirers  who  sought  his 
door  as  their  only  friend.     In  spite  of  impaired  health, 
he  had  kept  on  working  with  a  consecrated  persistency, 
which  will  bear  comparison  with  some  of  the  bravest 
and  best  records  of  the  mission  field.     As  the  Bishop 
said  of  him,  though  perhaps  he  had  but  one  talent, 
he  traded  therewith  and  gained  another  for  the  Lord's 
treasury.     Can  any  one  doubt  the  fitness  and  spirit 
of  such  a  man,  negro  though  he  was  ?     The  Bishop 
writes  thus  respecting  his  fellow-worker  : 

Through  faith  in  Him  whom  he  believed  to  be  the  only 
Friend  of  sinners  he  trusted  for  pardon  and  forgiveness.    From 


250        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

Him  whom  he  so  faithfully  served  here  on  earth  we  may 
hereby  express  our  belief  that  Francis  Langley  has  received 
the  approbation  :  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful  servant : 
thou  hast  been  faithful  over  very  little  things  :  enter  thou 
into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord."  Oh,  that  this  were  the  ardent 
desire  of  us  all  labouring  in  this  mission,  to  spend  and  be  spent 
for  the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  our  heathen  countrymen  ! 
Half  a  dozen  men  of  like  mind  as  that  of  our  dear  departed 
Francis  Langley  would  be  inestimable  boons  to  missionaries 
among  our  heathen  brethren  according  to  the  flesh. 

While  the  Bishop  is  giving  such  a  good  testimony 

of  this  native  worker,  it  is  not  out  of  place  to  mention 

here  the  opinion  which  an  English  naval  officer  formed 

of   the   Bishop   and   his   work.     Captain   East,   R.N., 

of  H.M.S.  Lynx,  had  orders  to  go  up  the  Niger,  and 

he  here  met  the  Bishop,   and  had  opportunities  of 

observing  him  and  his  conduct  of  the  diocese. 

At  Lagos  (he  says)  I  first  met  Bishop  Crowther,  to  whom 
I  had  written  offering  him  a  passage  in  the  Lynx  to  the  Niger. 
I  had  often  heard  of  him,  and  years  ago  he  had  preached  for 
my  father  at  Bath.  He  called  on  me,  and,  as  most  people  are 
who  meet  him,  I  was  much  impressed  with  his  simple  un- 
affected manner  and  his  almost  perfect  pronunciation  of 
English,  so  that  in  speaking  to  him  you  could  scarcely  realize 
that  you  are  speaking  to  a  black  man.  On  returning  his  call 
I  found  the  Bishop  packing  up  with  his  own  hands  the  books 
and  slates  intended  for  the  Niger  Mission.  .  .  . 

The  native  town  of  Akassa  is  at  some  little  distance  to 
the  east.  This  station  was  in  charge  of  a  native  catechist, 
and  he  told  me  that  he  had  a  good  hope  that  ten  of  the  natives 
were  earnest,  sincere  Christians,  were  baptized  and  com- 
municants. He  had  also  sixty  others  who  continually  came 
to  these  services,  and  many  of  them  were  anxious  to  be 
baptized,  but  the  Bishop  was  very  careful  in  all  these  matters 
not  to  go  too  fast. 

Having  arrived  at  Lokoja,  he  goes  on  to  describe 
a  service  which  he  attended,  the  first  ordination  service 
in  that  part  of  Africa  : 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        251 

At  10.20,  accompanied  by  four  of  the  officers  of  the  Lynx, 
I  went  to  the  Church  Missionary  Society's  church,  and  after 
morning  prayers  witnessed  the  ordination  of  three  black 
native  catechists  (Messrs.  Paul,  Romaine,  and  Langley)  by 
Bishop  Crowther,  who  conducted  the  service  in  a  quiet  but 
most  impressive  manner.  He  was  attended  by  his  chaplain 
and  the  native  clergy  of  Lokoja  and  Onitsha.  His  text  was 
Acts  xiii.  46,  on  which  he  preached  a  short  sermon,  and  con- 
cluded by  addressing  the  candidates  for  ordination,  who, 
having  taken  the  oaths,  had  the  office  of  deacon  conferred 
upon  them. 

It  was  an  impressive  sight.  There  was  the  Bishop 
— now  an  elderly  man,  once  a  slave,  but  rescued  by  the 
British  cruisers — dressed  in  the  usual  robes  of  the  English 
Bench  and  surrounded  by  his  clergy,  seated  within  the  rails 
of  as  primitive  a  Communion  Table  as  ever  was  seen  ;  in  front, 
the  candidates  for  Holy  Orders  ;  Bishop  and  all  black,  the 
only  white  men  being  myself,  four  officers  of  H.M.S.  Lynx, 
and  my  coxswain,  who  occupied  a  pew  close  to  the  Com- 
munion rails.  In  the  congregation,  numbering  some  two 
hundred  (as  many  as  the  church  would  hold)  were  some  fifty 
native  and  Sierra  Leone  Christians,  and  the  children  of  the 
school,  about  twenty  in  number.  The  rest  consisted  of  the 
Mohammedan  and  Pagan  natives,  who  had  come  from  curio- 
sity ;  and  among  others  was  our  passenger,  the  Arab  sheikh, 
who,  at  all  events,  could  see  the  simple  earnestness  of  the 
Bishop  and  his  clergy.  This  sheikh  is  most  regular  in  the 
performance  of  his  devotions  on  board  and  whenever  he  goes 
on  shore.  After  the  service  the  Bishop  and  his  clergy  partook 
of  the  Sacrament.  ...  I  will  here  just  mention  a  little  in- 
cident indicative  of  the  esteem  in  which  Bishop  Crowther  is 
held.  Having  to  try  to  arrange  a  dispute  between  the  King 
and  the  merchants  about  trading  matters,  the  King  expected 
me  to  send  for  the  Bishop,  "for,"  he  said,  "  I  know  he  is  a 
man  of  truth  and  will  know  what  is  right  !  "  Poor  Masaba  ! 
The  Bishop,  indeed,  would  have  been  only  too  glad  to  have 
imparted  to  him  that  truth  which  could  make  him  wise  unto 
salvation  had  he  been  willing  to  receive  it. 

Reference  has  already  been  made  to  Dandeson 
Coates  Crowther,  the  son  of  the  Bishop,  who  was  with 
him  when  a  prisoner  through  the  treachery  of  Abokko, 


252         IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

and  was  the  constant  and  capable  companion  of  his 
father  in  his  missionary  journeys.  He  is  now  well 
known  as  the  Archdeacon  of  the  Niger.  On  19  June, 
1870,  he  received  ordination  at  the  hands  of  the  Bishop 
in  St.  Mary's  Parish  Church,  Ishngton.  The  event 
was  of  unique  interest,  it  being  the  first  time  that 
a  black  Bishop  had  ordained  his  black  son.  A  large 
crowd  filled  the  church,  and  the  service  was  followed 
with  the  deepest  attention.  It  was  by  a  happy  coinci- 
dence the  day  on  which  the  annual  sermon  was  preached 
in  aid  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society.  The  Bishop 
took  for  his  text  2  Timothy  11.  23,  and  in  forcible 
language  drew  a  parallel  between  the  temporal  and 
spiritual  conflict,  and  solemnly  committed  to  his  son 
the  responsibihty  and  yet  privilege  of  waging  a  brave 
warfare  against  sin  under  the  banner  of  the  cross. 
The  subsequent  service  of  ordination  was  a  touching 
spectacle.  The  venerable  Bishop,  already  growing 
grey  under  many  experiences ;  the  tall,  capable  figure 
of  his  son,  led  up  and  presented  by  the  Rev.  T.  Green, 
Principal  of  the  Church  Missionary  College  ;  and  inside 
the  altar  rails  the  Rev.  Daniel  Wilson,  the  aged  vicar, 
assisting  in  the  ceremony.  When  all  was  over, 
in  the  heart  of  not  a  few  was  a  sense  of  gratitude 
that  here  was  another  sign  and  promise  that  "  Ethiopia 
shall  stretch  her  hands  unto  God."  This  young 
minister  who  was  ordained  that  day  was  destined  to 
be  his  father's  capable  right  hand  in  the  work  of  the 
diocese,  and  to  take  up  the  sacred  inheritance  of  his 
labours  as  well  as  his  name  when  the  old  Bishop  was 
no  more. 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        253 

In  his  visitations  to  different  stations  on  the  Niger 
the  Bishop  frequently  experienced  that  the  prevalence 
of  sickness  was  a  serious  check  to  the  mission  pros- 
perity, because  of  the  superstition  of  the  people. 
During  his  stay  at  Onitsha  in  1874  a  plague  of  small- 
pox carried  off  some  of  the  most  promising  converts. 
Several  of  the  children  of  the  native  missionaries 
also  died,  and  the  sorrow  which  visited  the  town  was 
shared  by  the  Christian  teachers.  But  the  native 
doctors  and  juju  priests  made  the  most  of  the  calamity 
to  advance  their  own  ends,  and  naturally  attributed 
the  disaster  to  the  anger  of  the  offended  gods.  When 
the  king  Idiari  died  of  the  malady  his  opponent,  the 
pretender  to  the  throne,  greatly  rejoiced  ;  but  his 
exultation  was  cut  short  rather  abruptly  when  the 
chiefs  and  people  accused  him  of  bringing  the  disease 
into  the  country  to  kill  their  king.  In  their  summary 
fashion  they  started  a  new  theory,  and  explained  that 
the  disease  had  come  because  a  well  had  been  dug  on 
the  mission  compound  fourteen  fathoms  deep,  and 
the  displeased  deities  would  only  be  satisfied  by  a 
human  sacrifice  being  made,  and  the  body  thrown  into 
the  well.  This  was  averted  by  argument  and  per- 
suasion ;  then  the  chiefs  expressed  themselves  willing 
to  compromise,  if  a  sort  of  indemnity  be  paid  by  the 
missionaries  by  being  permitted  to  charge  them  with 
goods  which  they  had  never  received.  A  young 
convert,  however,  stood  up  between  the  parties,  and 
said  to  his  people  :  "My  friends,  I  have  Hstened 
to  all  that  you  have  been  saying  about  the  well  at  the 
mission  compound.     I  will  join  you  in  filling  it  up, 


254         IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

if  you  can  promise  me  that,  after  it  is  done,  there 
shall  be  no  more  death  at  Onitsha."  This  challenge 
they  could  not  accept,  and  so  happily  the  question 
of  the  well  was  dropped.  But  they  turned  their 
attention  from  the  mission  to  the  elderly  women  in 
the  town,  whom  they  accused  of  having  bewitched 
the  people,  and  thus  brought  sickness  among  them. 
They  seized  upon  twenty  of  these  poor  old  creatures, 
and  made  them  prove  their  innocence  by  drinking 
draughts  of  poison,  with  the  sad  result  that  half  their 
number  died  in  agony.  This  dreadful  ordeal  by 
drinking  dangerous  liquids  was  a  common  test  among 
the  natives. 

In  spite,  however,  of  these  measures,  the  sickness 
did  not  abate,  and  even  the  sudden  destruction 
of  their  sheep  and  pigs  did  not  prevent  the  spread 
of  the  fell  disease.  The  meetings  for  worship  were 
deserted,  which  possibly  was  not  without  its  ad- 
vantages, until  one  man  announced  that  he  had  had 
a  dream  in  which  their  old  pastor  Mr.  Langley  ap- 
peared to  him,  and  seriously  warned  him  that  if 
he  continued  to  slight  the  offer  of  mercy  now  made 
to  him  and  to  all  the  people  of  Onitsha,  they  would 
all  go  to  hell  after  death.  This  set  the  tide  flowing 
in  another  direction,  and  the  public  services  were 
soon  full  to  overflowing.  After  a  time  the  plague 
was  stayed,  but  its  ravages  were  great. 

One  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Bishop's  mind 
was  its  absolutely  fair  and  dispassionate  way  of 
judging  men  and  their  circumstances.  Although 
allied  to  the  negro  by  blood  relationship,  he  recog- 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        255 

nized  their  limitations,  and  was  never  afraid  to  speak 
plainly  and  act  firmly  when  they  were  proved  to  be 
in  error.  He  had,  as  we  have  seen,  a  great  desire  to 
improve  the  position  of  the  people  on  the  Niger  by 
encouraging  trade,  as  they  were  thereby  brought  into 
contact  with  white  men,  and  it  gave  them  other 
interests,  which  would  work  out  well,  not  only  in 
the  matter  of  material  prosperity,  but  also  in 
strengthening  their  character.  Here  are  some  com- 
ments upon  that  love  of  money  which  was  getting 
a  hold  upon  the  people  : 

Their  indifference  to  the  means  of  grace  is  to  be  attributed 
to  this  in  a  great  measure.  It  appears  this  people  cannot  bear 
prosperity — from  abject  poverty  they  have  been  improved 
to  what  they  are  now  ;  but  the  more  trade  is  brought  among 
them  the  more  unbearable  they  are  becoming  in  their  de- 
mands to  lessen  the  measures  by  which  produce  is  brought 
from  them,  and  to  increase  goods  for  payment  to  nearly 
double  the  former  quantity  ;  and  because  this  would  not  be 
consented  to  trade  has  been  stopped  ever  so  many  times  for 
weeks,  as  if  to  compel  the  merchants  to  comply  with  their 
terms.  But,  strange  to  say,  some  of  the  merchants  have  tried 
to  implicate  our  mission  agents  by  suspecting  some  of  them, 
and  even  complaining  to  me  of  an  individual  as  putting  the 
natives  up  to  all  this  dissatisfaction  with  the  state  of  trade. 
How  groundless  such  a  charge  !  Here  we  are  between  two 
evils,  the  unjust  suspicions  of  the  merchants — as  if  the  mission 
agents  were  instigating  the  natives  against  them,  which  creates 
ill-feeling  and  distrust  on  their  part — and  the  evil  influences 
of  the  mercantile  agents,  which  we  of  necessity  are  compelled 
to  expose,  to  their  disgrace  and  confusion.  Thus  we  are 
situated  in  heathen  lands,  conflicting  with  civilized  evil  in- 
fluences, as  well  as  the  barbarous  heathen  practices,  all  which 
militate  against  the  holy  religion  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

How  much  the  political  as  well  as  the  commercial 
interests    on    the    Niger    owed   to   the    Bishop !     He 


256        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

was  always  ready  to  place  at  the  disposal  of  the 
representatives  of  British  authority  his  popular 
personahty  and  experience  in  language  and  native 
ideas.  In  1874  we  find  him  accompanying  the  mer- 
chants to  Bida,  introducing  them  to  King  Omoru, 
and,  as  their  interpreter,  enabling  them  to  hold  a 
long  conversation  with  his  Majesty,  and  make  some 
definite  and  profitable  arrangements  as  regards  future 
trading.  He  also  took  the  opportunity  of  reading 
the  letter  from  Governor  Berkeley,  which  accompanied 
the  Queen's  presents  and  congratulations  on  the 
accession  of  King  Omoru  to  the  throne  of  Masaba. 
Here  is  his  own  account  of  the  scene  : 

Amongst  other  things,  I  informed  the  King  of  the  visit  of 
the  Shah  of  Persia  to  England,  his  kingly  reception,  and  the 
impressions  made  on  his  mind  so  favourable  that  he  could  not 
express  them  in  words,  but  in  ardent  request  that  England 
would  be  kind  enough  to  consent  to  construct  railroads  in 
his  dominions  for  the  facility  of  communication  and  com- 
merce ;  that  while  such  a  mighty  Mohammedan  monarch  did 
not  spare  himself  the  trouble  of  such  a  visit,  nor  did  he  think 
his  kingdom  was  beyond  improvement,  how  much  more 
should  African  kings  desire  a  foreign  power  to  improve  their 
countries  by  their  wealth  and  skill.  I  then  showed  him  a 
lump  of  coal,  which  Captain  Croft  had  kindly  given  me  on 
asking,  as  the  fuel  with  which  steam  work  is  done  in  England, 
and  that  he  should  show  it  to  his  subjects  ;  perhaps  they 
might  come  across  such  a  thing  as  that  in  the  country  one 
day,  to  report  it  to  him.    This  was  a  piece  of  curiosity. 

These  interviews  with  native  dignities  were  some- 
times attended  with  a  little  risk,  and  two  little  acci- 
dents attended  this  particular  ceremonial.  The  King 
had  gathered  for  review  a  large  force  of  cavalry  and 
a  crowd  of  footmen  to  make  the  visit  of  the  foreign 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        257 

gentlemen  more  distinguished ;  but  as  the  party 
were  going  out,  one  of  these  dusky  warriors,  a  httle 
hilarious  with  palm  wine,  discharged  a  revolver, 
without  any  idea  of  doing  harm,  but  the  bullet  narrowly 
missed  the  Bishop  and  struck  one  of  the  bystanders, 
who  died  almost  immediately.  The  King  at  once 
prohibited  any  further  reckless  use  of  firearms.  But 
another  misadventure  from  a  different  cause  occurred 
shortly  afterwards.  When  he  returned  to  the  town, 
after  a  prolonged  palaver  with  the  Bishop  and  his 
other  visitors,  some  of  his  horsemen  started  to  gallop 
through  the  narrow  streets,  when  the  horse  of  Captain 
Croft,  one  of  the  merchants,  took  fright,  and  thrust 
its  rider  against  the  wall,  breaking  his  leg  just  above 
the  ankle.  Two  native  doctors  speedily  came  to  the 
rescue  with  their  original  first-aid  appliances,  pulling 
the  parts  till  the  bone  was  set,  then  making  splints 
of  the  hard  bark  of  the  bamboo  tree,  and  tightly  bind- 
ing round  it  the  native  calico  bandages.  It  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at  that  they  added  to  these  fairly 
common-sense  and  effective  remedies  some  super- 
stitious ceremonies,  prayers  muttered  to  the  gods, 
and  the  application  outside  of  a  sacred  ointment 
of  ostrich  marrow  and  hen's  fat.  When  a  messenger 
fetched  the  medicine-chest  from  the  steamer,  and 
the  Bishop  carefully  explained  the  uses  of  the  various 
things  therein  comprised,  the  King  was  deeply  in- 
terested and  not  a  little  astonished  at  the  woodcuts 
in  the  book,  showing  the  different  parts  of  the  body, 
with  directions  how  to  treat  them.  "  You  were 
well    prepared    before    leaving    home    for    a    foreign 


258        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

country,"  was  his  comment.  The  Bishop  spoke 
highly  of  this  inteUigent  King  of  Nupe.  Well  read  as 
he  was  in  Arabic  books  which  had  come  to  him  across 
the  desert,  he  was  a  man  of  considerable  knowledge, 
open-minded  and  reasonable  to  deal  with.  He  was 
able  to  write  a  very  sensible  letter  to  the  English 
Governor,  sending  his  thanks  to  the  Queen  for  the 
presents,  and  giving  a  strong  assurance  that  while 
he  remains  in  authority,  all  English  subjects  shall 
have  his  protection  and  interest.  The  Bishop  ac- 
companied this  letter  with  one  from  his  own  pen,  in 
which  he  says  : 

King  Umoru  is  an  educated  Mohammedan,  and  is  well 
read  on  subjects  relating  to  civilized  nations  in  the  north  ; 
the  quickness  with  which  he  entered  into  the  idea  of  any 
information  on  such  subjects  at  once  proved  his  superior 
intelligence  to  his  late  predecessor.  Taking  all  these  into 
consideration,  together  with  his  own  express  wishes  to  be  led 
and  advised  by  wiser  minds,  and  also  the  extent  of  countries 
over  which  his  influence  is  felt,  I  feel  persuaded  that  if  Her 
Majesty's  Government  would  continue  to  show  their  recogni- 
tion of  his  earnest  wishes  to  promote  the  interest  of  trade 
and  more  extensive  cultivation  of  produce  suitable  for  Euro- 
pean markets  by  a  moderate  annual  remuneration,  I  believe 
good  benefits  will  accrue  from  it  both  to  commerce  and 
Christian  civilization  of  this  extensive  portion  of  interior 
Africa. 

This  letter  was  a  business  epistle.  The  Bishop 
subsequently  visited  New  Calabar,  where  he  dis- 
covered in  the  otherwise  muddy  and  miserable  sur- 
roundings of  the  town  a  bit  of  dry  and  firm  sandy 
beach,  unexpectedly  suitable  for  a  mission  station. 

We  could  scarcely  believe  our  own  eyes  till  we  entered  the 
jungle  and  examined  it  to  some  depth,  which  proved  satis- 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT         259 

factory.  We  walked  along  the  beach  to  some  distance,  where 
I  could  fancy  a  fine  playground  for  a  shoal  of  school  children. 
When  let  out  of  the  schoolroom  in  which  they  have  been  con- 
fined at  their  lessons  for  a  few  hours,  how  they  would  skip 
about  and  amuse  themselves  with  their  many  antics  ! 

He  secured  the  land  by  a  written  agreement  under 
the  signatures  of  the  King  and  himself,  whereby  they 
each  undertook  to  pay  half  the  expenses  of  the  mission 
premises  being  built  and  even  the  school  fee,  for  every 
child  is  carefully  stipulated  for  at  £2  per  annum. 

The  news  which  reached  him  at  this  time  of  the 
position  of  affairs  at  Idda  gave  him  much  concern. 
Since  the  death  of  the  old  Atta,  who  was  not  a  very 
reliable  factor  as  regards  either  commercial  or  re- 
ligious undertakings,  very  little  progress  had  been 
made  by  his  successor  Akaia.  This  man  was  the 
murderer  of  a  faithful  friend  and  adviser,  Okoro,  an 
old  retainer,  who  had  stood  by  the  young  ruler  in 
many  times  of  hardship  and  peril.  The  people 
therefore  were  much  divided  in  their  allegiance,  and, 
as  the  Bishop  put  it,  "  Under  this  circumstance,  what 
friend  of  humanity  and  of  the  oppressed  would  not 
wish  and  pray  that  such  a  weak,  rotten,  and  powerless 
government  might  one  day  fall  into  the  hands  of 
another  power,  which  could  defend  the  poor  and  justly 
punish  the  wrongdoer  ?  " 

This  wretched  and  unrehable  King  was  very  anxious 
for  the  Bishop  to  open  a  missionary  establishment 
at  Idda,  not  possibly  from  any  particular  love  for 
the  Gospel,  but  because  it  would  bring  the  merchants 
and  stimulate  trade.  But  the  Bishop  would  have 
none  of  it  unless  the  Atta  should  proclaim  a  law  that 


26o        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

the  river  passage  was  free  and  safe  in  open  boat 
or  canoe  for  the  mission  agents  to  pass  from  one  station 
to  another,  and  that  the  King  would  hold  himself 
and  his  chiefs  responsible  for  any  molestation,  if 
such  should  occur.  Here  we  get  also  a  final  reference 
to  that  wretched  chief  who  betrayed  the  Bishop  into 
captivity,  but  who  does  not  seem  to  have  prospered 
much  by  his  treachery  : 

The  covetous  Abokko  (says  the  Bishop),  who  had  done  the 
mischief  in  1867,  has  since  returned  to  Idda  after  the  death 
of  the  late  offended  Atta,  though  reduced  to  beggary  for  his 
daily  subsistence.  Neither  myself,  I  am  thankful  to  say, 
nor  few  of  my  fellow-labourers  now  in  the  mission  care  much 
for  any  amount  of  work  we  may  have  to  do,  or  exposure  to 
endure  in  travelUng  by  land,  river,  or  creek  in  the  pursuit  of 
our  duty,  nor  are  we  careful  for  what  the  Lord  may  permit 
to  befall  us,  as  the  results  of  a  faithful  preaching  of  the  Gospel, 
when  the  rage  of  Satan  may  be  roused  against  us  ;  but  when 
a  meditated  treachery,  prompted  by  covetousness,  well  dis- 
guised under  pretended  friendship,  mth  the  avowed  intention 
to  extort  money,  entraps  one  into  difficulties  in  order  to  get 
it,  this  is  more  difficult  to  endure  with  feelings  of  resignation 
than  suffering  in  the  cause  of  the  Gospel.  But  we  must  re- 
member "  The  Lord  reigneth  ;  clouds  and  darkness  are  round 
about  Him  ;  righteousness  and  judgment  are  the  habitation 
of  His  throne." 

While  the  Bishop  was  busy  with  his  work,  founding 
his  mission  in  Western  Africa,  Ihe  thoughts  of  the 
English  people  were  wistfully  turned  towards  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Continent,  from  which  news  of 
Livingstone  had  been  brought  by  Stanley.  The 
tension  of  many  years  of  suspense  had  been  at  last 
relieved,  and  the  great  traveller  and  missionary  had 
been  found  alive  and  well  in  the  deep  forests  of  that 
land  for  whose  sake  he  died.     The  touching  story  of 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        261 

his  passing  away  soon  followed  the  tidings  of  his 
discovery,  and  the  nation  wept  for  the  loss  of  one  so 
brave,  so  unselfish,  so  loyal  to  his  God  and  duty. 
It  is  supposed  that  his  death  occurred  in  either  April 
or  May,  1873,  but  a  few  months  afterwards  the  Bishop 
met  with  news  of  him,  while  staying  at  Egga,  above 
the  Confluence  of  the  Niger.  The  tidings  were  already 
two  years  old,  and  although  no  name  was  mentioned, 
but  only  a  brief  description  could  be  relied  upon,  he 
felt  it  might  be  Livingstone,  and  therefore  wrote 
the  following  letter  to  travel  back  into  the  far  east 
of  the  continent,  as  he  said,  "  just  for  experiment ; 
it  matters  not  into  whose  hands  the  letter  may  fall  "  : 

Egga,  River  Niger,  West  Africa, 
28  September,  1873. 

Having  met  with  an  ivory  trader  by  the  name  of  Abudulai, 
who  reported  having  seen  a  white  man  in  the  far  east  country 
about  two  years  ago,  whom  he  described  as  an  old  man  with 
white  whiskers,  who  wore  long  boots,  red  shirt,  and  a  cap,  at 
a  place  called  Kakade  Bina,  at  a  large  body  of  water  called 
Kadai,  paddled  in  a  large  canoe  called  Baya,  who  wore  head- 
bands of  cowries  and  bedaubed  themselves  with  oil,  who  are 
also  cannibals. 

Suspecting  this  white  man  may  be  Dr.  Livingstone,  I  write 
these  lines  in  hope,  if  so  they  may  verify  the  statements, 
should  Abudulai  go  that  way  again  and  may  come  across  the 

^'^^^^^^^-  S.  A.  Crowther, 

Bishop,  Niger  Territory. 

One  wonders  what  became  of  this  precious  missive, 
passing,  perhaps,  from  hand  to  hand  in  the  mysterious 
heart  of  Africa,  written  by  one  of  her  greatest  sons 
about  one  of  her  most  steadfast  friends.  When  the 
Bishop  was  writing  these  words  at  Egga,  the  famous 


262        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

missionary  explorer  had  passed  to  his  rest  at  least  four 
months.  The  sacred  burden  of  his  poor  worn-out  body 
was  being  at  this  very  time  carried  through  swamp  and 
forest,  in  peril  of  hostile  and  superstitious  tribes,  with 
infinite  difficulty  by  his  faithful  servants,  Susi,  Chuma, 
and  Jacob  Wainwright,  to  the  coast.  How  it  was  borne 
to  his  native  land  and  buried  with  honours  in  Westmin- 
ster Abbey  is  a  page  of  history  which  no  true  lover  of 
Africa  can  recall  without  stirrings  of  heart  to  all  time. 
Although  his  explorations  were  in  another  region 
of  the  Dark  Continent,  and  he  touched  other  tribes, 
still  we  can  imagine  what  a  pleasure  it  would  have 
been  to  Livingstone  could  he  have  met  the  Bishop 
before  he  died.  For  he,  too,  believed  in  the  possi- 
bilities latent  in  the  African  native,  and  he  would 
have  rejoiced  to  greet  as  a  fellow-worker  in  the  mis- 
sionary field  one  who  so  conspicuously  fulfilled  that 
promise  and  destiny. 

Trade  had  begun  to  flourish  on  the  western  coast, 
and  the  natives  in  the  Gulf  of  Biafra  welcomed  the 
erection  of  factories  at  the  different  places  on  the  shore. 
As  the  Bishop  foresaw,  this  introduction  of  the  trading 
element  did  not  advantage  the  people  from  a  moral 
standpoint.  The  Bishop  took  pains  to  show  the 
people  of  England  that  bringing  the  native  in  contact 
with  civilization  must  not  necessarily  make  him  a 
better  man.  In  many  cases  it  was  only  sharpening 
his  wits  and  developing  characteristics  which  were 
not  good  for  himself  or  the  white  man,  with  whom 
he  was  now  called  to  strike  a  bargain.  In  a  ten  years' 
retrospect    of    work    among    these    degraded    people 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        263 

he  adverted  to  some  comments  from  time  to  time  in 
the  English  Press,  oftener  prompted  by  ignorance  of 
than  by  hostiHty  to  the  work  of  Christian  missions, 
in  which  it  had  been  assumed  that  there  was  Uttle 
necessity  for  anything  but  the  commercial  association 
with  Europeans  to  improve  the  native  character. 
Indeed,  if  the  missionary  counts  for  nothing,  the  only 
hope  for  the  heathen  is  in  the  trader  and  possibly  the 
schoolmaster,  although  the  latter  generally  is  brought 
in  with  the  Bible.  The  Bishop  does  not  shrink  from 
plain  speaking  ;  he  sketches  the  unconverted  native 
of  the  Delta  with  perfect  frankness,  and  shows  that 
he  will  do  his  best  to  overreach  the  white  man. 

They  are  very  shrewd,  artful,  and  cunning,  watchful  of 
strangers,  whom  they  sound  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  their 
knowledge  of  native  character  and  the  state  of  business,  so 
that  they  may  deal  with  them  accordingly.  A  stranger  just 
entering  the  country  is  really  an  object  of  pity,  on  account  of 
the  imposition  he  is  exposed  to  in  buying  provisions  or  build- 
ing materials,  such  as  sticks,  bamboo  for  roof  covering,  etc.  ; 
he  will  be  expected  to  pay  a  hundred  per  cent  more  than  the 
ordinary  price  articles  are  sold  at  amongst  themselves.  All 
being  brokers,  you  can  scarcely  get  anyone  to  put  you  on 
your  guard,  unless  he  be  a  foreigner  who  has  himself  gone 
through  the  same  ordeal  and  has,  after  a  time,  arrived  at  a 
better  knowledge  of  things  by  a  dearly  bought  experience. 
For  instance,  building  materials,  which  may  be  got  from  the 
bush  at  the  end  of  one's  own  new  ground  close  at  hand  for 
little  or  nothing,  are  charged  for  most  extravagantly,  and  are 
even  dearer  than  planks  brought  from  England  ;  nor  will  you 
be  told  that  such  may  be  got  close  by  unless  a  person  happens 
to  find  it  out  for  himself.  When  these  impositions  are  dis- 
covered, they  are  never  ashamed  of  themselves  as  long  as  they 
have  gained  their  object  for  the  time  being — the  strangers 
being  considered  their  lawful  prey. 

The  Bishop  gives  instances  of  this  to  show  their 
cleverness  and  cupidity.     In  building  mission  premises, 


264        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

and  in  even  providing  the  necessary  food  for  their 
inmates,  he  has  had  to  battle  with  them  against  ex- 
tortion. 

'  Deceitfulness  and  self-interest,  again,  are  traits  in  their 
character.  No  sooner  was  the  new  mission  station  occupied 
at  New  Calabar  than  one  of  the  petty  chiefs  brought  his  son 
to  one  of  the  mission  agents  to  be  received  and  educated  for 
him  on  his  private  account  till  the  boarding-school  was  opened. 
When  he  was  asked,  "  What  about  his  board  ?  "  the  father 
promised  to  pay  one  goat  and  three  fowls  monthly  as  an 
equivalent.  The  boy  was  with  the  mission  agent  for  six 
weeks,  but  not  a  chicken  was  given  towards  his  food.  Mean- 
while the  father  came  and  asked  permission  to  take  his  son 
with  him  to  join  in  some  great  amusement  which  was  then 
going  on  in  the  town.  After  two  weeks'  absence  the  son  was 
sent  back  by  a  messenger  to  the  mission  agent,  but  nothing 
was  brought  in  payment.  I  knew  from  the  beginning  what 
the  arrangement  was,  but  I  wished  our  new  friends  to  prove 
it  by  their  experience.  No  such  agreement  was  ever  yet  ful- 
filled by  private  arrangement,  to  my  knowledge,  at  Okassa, 
Brass,  or  yet  even  Bonny.  I  ordered  the  boy  to  be  sent  back 
to  his  father  to  make  good  his  promise  ;  if  he  was  in  earnest 
about  his  education,  he  was  to  send  him  to  the  boarding-school 
through  the  King,  who  makes  every  one  responsible  for  the 
boarding  of  their  children  at  the  price  agreed  upon.  I  told 
the  King  of  the  fraud  which  was  practised  on  us,  and  asked 
him  to  tell  me  candidly  whether  he  thought  that  that  chief 
ever  meant  to  pay  for  the  maintenance  of  his  son.  He  was 
surprised  at  my  discovery  of  the  cheat  and  significantly  shook 
his  head,  which  meant  "  No."  .  .  . 

Keenness  in  trade  is  conspicuous  amongst  them  ;  they  are 
shrewd,  calculating,  and  hard  bargainers.  Before  an  under- 
standing is  come  to  the  buyer's  patience  is  well-nigh  ex- 
hausted. Time  is  to  them  of  no  value  ;  after  the  seller  has 
wasted  about  five  hours  in  holding  on  to  see  whether  you 
would  call  him  back  and  accept  his  terms,  he  will  come  back 
and  offer  to  accept  your  terms  as  a  particular  favour  to  you. 
.  .  .  When  there  is  any  suspicion  of  an  individual  or  a  people 
beware  of  treachery  ;  among  your  visitors  are  treacherous 
men,  who  watch  your  words  and  proceedings  and  draw  you 
out  in  a  cunning  manner,  reporting  to  their  employers. 

They  are  passionate  and  revengeful ;  hence  there  is  a  great 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        265 

difi&culty  in  reconciling  them.  Nothing  satisfies  one  who 
imagines  himself  wronged,  unless  retaliation.  The  propensity 
to  theft  may  be  classed  as  an  instinct.  Wlien  a  stranger  is 
robbed,  it  is  considered  as  a  matter  of  course  ;  by  mutual 
agreement  nothing  is  revealed  by  anyone  privy  to  the  theft, 
old  or  young.  .  .  . 

Church  building  materials  have  been  robbed  from  us. 
Although  the  thief  was  well  known — a  person  of  note  in  the 
town — yet  because  the  planks  had  not  marks  on  them  by 
which  we  could  identify  them,  we  could  not  accuse  the  thief. 
Some  months  elapsed  after  the  robbery  when  the  very  planks 
were  brought  and  sold  to  us,  which  we  repurchased.  .  .  .  Even 
places  of  worship  do  not  escape  them.  The  velvet  coverings 
of  the  cushions  on  the  seats  at  St.  Clement's  Church  were  torn 
off  at  night  and  carried  away.  At  St.  Stephen's  Church  the 
benches  for  seats,  the  coverings  for  the  reading-desk  and  pulpit, 
the  black  school  board,  and  even  the  church  bell  were  stolen. 

And  yet  the  Bishop  pomts  out  that  these  people, 
judged  from  an  intellectual  standpoint,  rank  high. 
They  show  great  aptitude  for  acquiring  knowledge, 
will  study  intelligently,  have  retentive  memories, 
and  will  often  aspire  to  superior  attainments.  In  fact, 
that  King  William  Pepple  and  his  son  George  had 
been  to  England  gave  an  incentive  to  the  advantages 
of  a  European  education.  Some  of  the  chiefs,  there- 
fore, sent  their  sons  to  England  for  this  purpose,  but 
the  experiment  was  hardly  a  success.  The  motive 
in  sending  them  was  sometimes  wrong  to  begin  with, 
and  then  they  were  not  altogether  fortunate  in  their 
location  on  this  side.  An  instance  is  given  of  a 
little  girl  who  was  sent  by  her  father,  the  chief,  with 
the  one  idea  that  she  might  afterwards  be  her  father's 
private  secretary  in  the  oil  business,  and  when,  after 
three  years,  she  came  back  with  only  the  rudiments 
of  learning  and  little  knowledge  of  accounts,  she  was 


266        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

packed  off  again  back  to  England  for  two  or  three  more 
years  with  again  disappointing  results  on  her  return. 
The  chief  was  enraged,  as  indeed  he  might  reasonably 
be,  for  he  had  spent  £1200  on  this  education  experi- 
ment. There  must  have  been  something  radically 
wrong  on  this  side  the  water. 

A  school  was  established  at  Bonny  by  the  Bishop, 
where  a  good  education  might  be  imparted  without 
the  necessity  for  these  unsatisfactory  and  expensive 
voyages  abroad.  It  was  a  step  in  the  right  direction, 
and  in  some  cases  the  pupils,  after  being  well  grounded 
there,  were  sent  to  England,  where  their  intelligence 
and  their  parents'  means  warranted  this  course. 
The  rage  for  education  increased.  So  anxious  were 
the  parents  that  their  children  should  learn  quickly, 
that  they  would  bring  them  to  the  mission  school 
with  instructions  that  the  poor  little  black  wights 
should  be  kept  at  study  day  and  night,  and  they 
could  not  easily  be  brought  to  see  that  relaxation  and 
sleep  were  necessary  to  young  people.  Sometimes 
the  Bishop  was  frankly  told  that  all  that  was  wanted 
was  that  the  children  should  be  able  to  gauge  palm  oil 
and  add  up  the  books  correctly.  But  in  other  cases 
ambition  and  vanity  formed  the  driving  power  to 
get  these  girls  and  boys  to  bring  lustre  upon  their 
name  by  displaying  superior  attainments  in  the 
presence  of  less  fortunate  families. 

Vanity  and  a  love  of  show  are  never  very  far  away 
from  the  negro  mind.  On  a  Sunday  there  used  to 
be  always  a  display  of  extraordinary  costumes  at 
a  church  parade,   which,   for  colour  and  variety,  if 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        267 

not  for  strict  aesthetic  taste,  would  surpass  a  Euro- 
pean boulevard.  But  the  egregious  vanity  of  the 
people  reached  its  maximum  when  a  general  hoUday 
came  round,  and  everybody  put  on  bunting  galore. 
The  Bishop,  with  his  observant  eye,  gives  us  a  little 
glimpse  of  such  a  scene  at  New  Calabar  : 

On  these  days  every  one  appeared  in  his  or  her  best  dress, 
the  males  in  long  shirts  like  nightshirts,  but  made  of  the  best 
Manchester  goods  they  could  obtain,  such  as  rich  silks,  silk 
velvets,  damasks,  etc.,  their  under  wrappings  being  of  the 
same  materials.  The  head  coverings  are  black  or  straw  hats 
or  caps,  decorated  with  coral  beads  of  the  best  quality  obtain- 
able. The  females  appeared  in  the  same  rich  drapery,  but 
their  dresses  are  cut  into  lengths  of  cloths  about  the  size  of  a 
moderate  table  cover.  Many  such  are  passed  round  in  layers 
on  the  waists  and  bent  in  the  front  until  they  become  a  large 
pile  of  goods,  which  make  their  gait  awkward.  In  addition 
to  all  this  rich  drapery,  strings  of  large,  expensive,  real  coral 
beads  are  suspended  on  the  necks  of  both  males  and  females, 
at  the  lowest  rate  to  the  amount  of  ;^5o  or  £60  on  the  body  of 
an  individual.  The  necks  of  some  females  are  quite  weighed 
down  with  them.  These  coral  beads  are  of  very  large  grains, 
which  are  much  preferred  to  small  grains,  mostly  long  pipe, 
round,  or  drum  shape.  During  the  late  amusements  a  new 
ornament  has  been  introduced  in  addition  to  corals  as  jewels, 
viz.  coins.  Gold  sovereigns,  silver  dollars,  florins,  shilUngs, 
and  sixpenny  pieces  are  bored  through  and  strung  up  with 
coral  beads  for  the  neck,  wrists,  or  ankles  to  the  amount  of  as 
many  pounds  as  each  one  was  able  to  purchase.  These  are 
exhibitions  of  greatness  and  the  test  of  superiority  in  riches. 
In  consequence  of  this  English  gold  sovereigns  and  silver  coins 
have  become  articles  of  great  demand  in  the  palm  oil  trade, 
for  ornamental  dresses  as  above  stated.  One  of  the  native 
chiefs  at  New  Calabar  was  said  to  have  purchased  coins  for 
his  own  ornaments,  wives',  and  children's  to  the  amount  of 
;^500,  paid  for  in  palm  oil.  It  was  estimated  by  gentlemen 
competent  to  judge  that  the  hat  of  another  chief  was  valued 
at  forty  puncheons  of  palm  oil,  which  at  £12  per  puncheon, 
as  oil  was  rated  in  the  river,  was  equal  to  the  value  of  ^480, 
of  coral  beads,  gold  and  silver  coins,  with  which  the  hat  was 
decorated. 


268        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

This  being  one  of  the  chief  objects  of  their  emulation,  one 
may  guess  how  eager  each  one  must  be  to  make  as  much  by- 
trade  as  possible,  and  even  to  increase  their  accumulated 
stores  by  enormous  overcharges  on  their  native  produce  or 
materials,  and  how  wasteful  it  must  appear  to  some  of  these 
ignorant  people  to  pay  I2.  a  year  school  fee  for  the  education 
of  a  child,  because  education  is  not  a  visible  appendage  for 
exhibition  as  an  ornament,  as  two  sovereigns,  twenty  florins, 
forty  shillings,  or  eighty  sixpenny  pieces  would  have  been  on 
their  persons. 

This  picture  of  native  character  as  drawn  so  faith- 
fully by  the  Bishop  is  intended  as  a  commentary  on 
the  native  as  blessed  by  commerce  and  civilization. 
What  have  these  European  influences  done  for  these 
people  ?  It  is  clear  that  the  innate  love  of  money 
has  been  only  exaggerated  into  developments  of 
avaricious  deceit.  Even  education  in  the  eyes  of  the 
chiefs  meant  only  more  opportunities  of  making  a 
fortune,  making  a  son  or  daughter  a  trade  asset  or 
a  glorification  of  family  pride.  And  to  what  purposes 
is  this  acquired  money  used  ?  The  Bishop  draws 
a  veil  upon  the  sensuality  which  is  so  often  the  curse 
of  the  unconverted  and  prosperous  African.  These 
brute  passions,  sometimes  beneath  even  the  respectable 
brute,  are  unchecked  by  European  contact,  and  indeed 
the  success  of  trade  often  fans  the  embers  of  iniquity 
into  a  flame.  The  Bishop  makes  no  charges  against 
the  moral  character  of  the  European  trader,  though 
doubtless  then,  as  now,  and  perhaps  more  so,  the 
reputation  of  the  Christianity  of  the  white  man  in 
some  cases  is  wounded  in  the  house  of  its  friends. 
But  the  picture  he  portrays  of  the  childish  vanity, 
the   reckless   extravagance   of   dress   and   ornaments, 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        269 

while  quite  consistent  with  the  native  character, 
demonstrates  that  neither  a  smattering  of  education, 
nor  the  acquisition  of  money,  teaches  these  poor  foohsh 
people  a  wiser  and  more  excellent  way.  It  is  a  dark 
but  truthful  view  of  heathenism  minus  the  grace  of 
God.  Incidentally  it  is  not  difficult  to  see  how  the 
repudiation  of  all  this  by  the  Christian  standard 
created  a  barrier  to  the  progress  and  popularity  of 
Christianity,  and  was  a  continual  stumbling-block  in 
the  path  of  new  converts  to  the  faith. 

On  the  Niger,  as  indeed  in  every  mission  field, 
with  varying  intensity,  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors 
has  been  from  the  beginning  a  terrible  hindrance  to 
Christianity,  The  Bible  has  been  followed  by  the 
beer,  and  what  the  missionary  has  accomplished 
has  been  by  the  merchant  undone.  This  is  an  old 
and  painful  story,  the  jarring  chord  in  many  a  song 
of  praise,  a  black  stain,  one  might  call  it  a  crimson 
wound,  in  the  history  of  missionary  endeavour. 
In  West  Africa  the  sale  of  spirits  became  such  a 
menace  to  the  moral  character  of  the  people  that 
some  official  action  was  forced  on  the  Church  Mission- 
ary Society.  On  18  December,  1884,  an  influential 
deputation  waited  upon  the  Foreign  Office  to  lay 
before  the  Government  of  that  day  the  crying  wrongs 
which  this  vile  business  was  inflicting  upon  the  African 
people,  and  the  injury  which  was  done  to  the  mission 
work  of  the  Society  in  that  part  of  the  continent. 
The  immediate  and  urgent  necessity  for  action  was 
stated  to  be  the  conclusions  of  the  Berlin  Conference, 
as  reported  in  the  "  Times  "  of  8  December,  in  which 


270        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

it  was  stated  that  the  suggestions  of  the  British 
representative  had  been  overruled,  and  the  Niger 
and  other  parts  of  the  West  Coast  of  Africa  were  to 
become  the  licensed  sphere  of  this  degrading  traffic. 
It  was  pointed  out  that  there  were  grave  reasons 
for  anticipating  that  this  sale  of  alcoholic  drink 
would  ruin  the  missions  and  irreparably  demoralize 
the  natives,  undoing  all  the  patient  and  faithful  work 
of  missions  in  the  past  and  present  of  that  important 
field.  Some  startling  personal  testimonies  were  given. 
The  Secretary  of  the  Society  stated  that  when  on  a 
visit  to  the  Niger  he  saw  with  his  own  eyes  vessels 
laden  with  nothing  else,  in  one  instance  carrying 
25,000  cases  of  gin,  introducing  the  fire  water  to  these 
poor,  half-delirious  and  drunken  natives.  So  con- 
siderable had  the  traffic  become  that  the  African 
towns  were  disgraced  with  evidences  of  frightful 
drunkenness,  and  that  the  importance  of  some  of 
these  villages  was  reckoned  by  the  huge  piles  of  gin 
bottles  stacked  up  at  the  gate.  No  language  could 
express  the  miserable  condition  of  these  poor  natives, 
who  have  been  deceived  and  drugged  by  Hamburg 
spirit  so  vile  that  the  most  drunken  ^European  sailor 
would  not  touch  it.  Like  a  demoniac  possession, 
the  whole  being  of  the  native  was  afire  with  it,  every 
moral  quality  was  destroyed,  and  the  worst  instincts 
of  the  savage  were  brought  back  anew. 

The  African  kings  themselves  foresaw  the  ruin 
of  their  country,  and  implored  the  missionaries  to 
save  their  people  from  this  scourge.  A  notable 
instance  of  this  was  a  letter  which  Maliki,  the  Emir 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        271 

of  Niipe,  addressed  to  one  of  the  native  pastors,  to 
be  placed  in  the  hands  of  Bishop  Crowther.  This 
man  was  not  a  Christian,  but  he  dreaded  the  approach 
of  the  white  man's  drink,  having  seen  what  havoc 
it  had  already  wrought  amongst  his  people.  It  is 
most  pathetic  to  read  these  words,  wrung  from  the 
very  heart  of  a  native  king,  coupled  with  an  almost 
childHke  affection  for  the  Bishop,  in  whom  he  had  such 
confidence.  The  original  letter  and  its  translation 
by  the  Bishop  are  still  happily  preserved  : 

Maliki,  Emir  of  Nup6. 

Salute  Crowther,  the  great  Christian  minister.  After 
salutation  please  tell  him  he  is  a  father  to  us  in  this  land  ; 
anything  he  sees  will  injure  us  in  all  this  land,  he  would  not 
like  it.    This  he  knew  perfectly  well. 

The  matter  about  which  I  am  speaking  with  my  mouth, 
write  it ;  it  is  as  if  it  is  done  by  my  hand  ;  it  is  not  a  long 
matter,  it  is  about  Barasa  (rum  or  gin),  Barasa,  Barasa, 
Barasa — my  God,  it  has  ruined  my  country,  it  has  ruined  our 
people  very  much,  it  has  made  our  people  become  mad  !  I 
have  given  a  law  that  no  one  dares  buy  or  sell  it,  and  anyone 
who  is  found  selling  it  his  house  is  to  be  eaten  up  (plundered), 
anyone  found  drunk  will  be  killed,  I  have  told  all  the  Chris- 
tian traders  that  I  agree  to  everything  for  trade  except  Barasa, 
I  have  told  Mr.  Mcintosh's  people  to-day  the  Barasa  remain- 
ing with  them  must  be  returned  down  the  river.  Tell  Crowther, 
the  great  Christian  minister,  that  he  is  our  father,  I  beg  you, 
Mallam  Kipo  (Rev,  C.  Paul,  native  missionary),  don't  forget 
the  writing,  because  we  all  beg  that  he  (Bishop  Crowther) 
should  beg  the  great  priests  (committee  of  C.M.S.)  that  they 
should  beg  the  English  Queen  to  prevent  bringing  Barasa  to 
this  land. 

For  God  and  the  prophet's  sake,  for  God  and  the  prophet 
His  messenger's  sake,  he  (Crowther)  must  help  us  in  this 
matter,  that  of  Barasa.  We  all  have  confidence  in  him  ;  we 
must  not  have  our  country  to  become  spoiled  by  Barasa. 
Tell  him  may  God  bless  him  and  his  work.  This  is  the  mouth 
word  from  Maliki,  the  Emir  of  Nupe. 


272        IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

Years  have  passed  since  this  old  African  king 
uttered  this  touching  and  fervent  appeal,  and  it 
would  be  an  agreeable  task  to  record  a  substantial 
result  of  that  appeal.  But  the  time  of  the  emanci- 
pation of  West  Africa  from  the  slavery  of  European 
imported  drink  is  not  yet.  It  is  still  desolating  these 
people.  If  the  Bishop  were  still  with  us  he  would 
be  the  first  to  uplift  an  earnest  remonstrance,  and 
appeal  against  the  continuance  of  this  curse  upon 
his  beloved  land.  Whatever  evidence  may  be  ad- 
duced as  to  the  injurious  effect  of  alcohol  upon  other 
native  races,  the  evil  seems  to  reach  its  maximum 
in  extent  and  intensity  in  West  Africa.  It  is,  or 
ought  to  be,  unnecessary  to  affirm  our  responsibility 
in  this  matter,  especially  as  regards  our  new  Nigerian 
dependency,  with  its  enormous  possibilities  in  the 
future.  Lord  Avebury  said  long  ago  that  "  the 
partition  of  Africa  can  only  be  justified  if  the  nations 
of  Europe  regard  their  possessions  as  a  sacred  trust," 
and  still  more  important  is  the  opinion  of  Sir  George 
Taubman  Goldie,  the  founder  of  Nigeria,  when  he 
has  said  : 

I  speak  from  sixteen  years'  experience  .  .  .  and  to  say 
confidently  that  unless  immediate  steps  be  taken  to  stop  this 
traffic — not  by  higher  duties,  but  by  absolute  prohibition — 
a  state  of  things  •'Adll  soon  be  brought  about  that  must  ulti- 
mately lead  to  the  entire  abandonment  of  the  country.  .  .  . 
I  cannot  believe  that  the  conscience  of  Europe  will  long  allow 
that  the  vast  populous  regions  of  tropical  Africa  should  be 
used  only  as  a  cesspool  of  European  alcohol. 

Those  who  have  the  right  to  speak  with  a  personal 
knowledge   of   what   their   eyes   have   seen   in   West 


IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT        273 

Africa  declare  that  the  present  duty  on  spirits  is 
no  bar  to  the  evil,  and  that  an  increase  would  be  in- 
sufficient to  arrest  the  progress  of  demoralization 
among  the  natives.  Bishop  Johnson,  one  of  its 
able  native  bishops,  declared  that  "  European  com- 
merce, weighted  as  this  commerce  has  been  for  many 
years  with  the  liquor  traffic,  has  been  as  great  a  curse 
to  Africa,  and  greater  than  the  oceanic  slave  trade." 
Even  still  more  effective  was  a  statement  made  by 
a  Christian  negro  speaking  to  an  audience  in  England, 
when  he  brought  out  of  a  bag  an  ugly  idol  and  said, 
"  This  repulsive  object  is  what  we  worshipped  in 
times  past,"  and  then  he  added,  "  now  I  will  show  you 
what  England  has  sent  to  be  our  god  to-day,"  and 
produced  an  empty  gin  bottle.  Then  he  solemnly 
affirmed  that,  judging  from  what  he  had  seen  of  the 
degradation  of  his  people  through  drink,  he  would 
have  preferred  that  they  had  kept  to  the  idol  of  their 
forefathers.  Perhaps  the  highest  authority  and  the 
one  most  immediately  concerned  in  this  question 
is  Bishop  Tugwell,  who  has  an  accurate  knowledge 
of  things  as  they  are  on  this  question  in  his  huge 
diocese,  combined  with  a  passionate  love  for  the 
native  millions  for  whose  welfare  he  is  responsible. 
He  has  drawn  public  attention  to  the  drunkenness 
of  Lagos  having  lifted  the  death-rate  to  shocking 
excess ;  that  the  people  are  killing  themselves  with 
drink  in  their  own  homes  and  in  clubs  formed  for 
the  very  purpose  ;  that  the  Kroo  boy,  who  was 
famous  for  his  physique  and  character,  has  been 
demorahzed  ;  that  so  great  is  this  mad  craze  for  alcohol, 

T 


274         IN  LABOURS  MORE  ABUNDANT 

that  the  natives  will  only  receive  payment  in  trade 
transactions  in  gin,  and  that  nothing  but  immediate 
and  absolute  prohibition  will  save  the  country  from 
ruin. 

As  an  obstacle  to  missionary  progress  it  is  terrible 
beyond  words.  We  speak  of  facing  Mohammedanism 
in  WestTAfrica,  but  we  carry  in  our  train  a  traitor 
which  will  do  its  best  to  blot  out  every  blessing  Chris- 
tianity may  bring,  and  precede  us  with  a  new  vice 
which[the|Moslem  in  his  darkness  did  hitherto  avoid. 
The  white  man's  rehgion  is  checkmated  by  the  white 
man's  drink. 


CHAPTER    IX 

CORRESPONDENCE   AND   COUNSELS 

IT  wil]  have  been  observed  that  the  journals  of 
the  Bishop,  speaking  generally,  exhibit  him  as 
a  man  of  action,  dealing  more  with  incident  than 
opinion,  and  for  his  inner  thoughts  on  things  we 
must  look  elsewhere.  In  a  sense,  of  course,  the  facts 
he  graphically  records  are  self-revealing  ;  unconsciously 
he  displays  his  characteristics  of  modesty,  fidelity, 
tact,  and  courage.  What  a  spirit  of  compassion 
this  man  had  !  How  hot  was  his  indignation  against 
wrongdoing,  especially  if  it  was  the  oppression  of 
the  weak  by  the  brutal  and  strong  !  Possibly  these 
scenes  may  also  have  shown  his  limitations :  he  made 
no  pretension  of  being  anything  but  very  human. 
Mistakes  he  doubtless  made,  was  at  times  possibly 
taken  advantage  of,  as  the  truly  meek  often  are ; 
as  he  grew  older  wisdom  increased.  There  was  no 
arrest  in  his  development,  that  flaw  which  so  often 
stiffens  and  contracts  a  man. 

But  the  Bishop  did  not  carry  his  heart  upon  his 
sleeve,  and  to  find  it  we  must  seek  him  when  alone 
writing  a  letter,  or,  better  still,  seek  a  corner  in  which 
to  listen  while  he  delivers  a  charge  to  his  native  clergy. 

275 


276     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

Here  we  see  him  in  his  fatherly  aspect,  giving  wise 
counsels,  warning  them  off  the  rocks  upon  which 
they  may  make  shipwreck,  inculcating  sound  doctrine, 
and  feeding  them  with  the  strong  meat  of  Scripture, 
the  imperishable  principles  of  the  faith  once  delivered 
to  the  saints,  and  stimulating  their  zeal  to  good  works. 
Besides  which  the  Bishop,  with  his  practical  turn  of 
mind,  would  discuss  industrial  work  in  detail,  and 
urge  the  social  development  of  his  people,  so  that  the 
people  might  be  diligent  in  business,  as  well  as  other- 
wise serving  the  Lord. 

As  regards  difficulties,  he  had  to  deal  with  a  state 
of  things  widely  different  from  any  EngHsh  diocese. 
Around  every  Httle  church  and  station  was  a  dark  zone 
of  superstition  and  practices,  such  as,  for  instance, 
polygamy,  and  he  had  to  teach  them  what  attitude  they 
should  assume  towards  such  an  ingrained  system  of 
African  life.  If  this  has  proved  a  hard  nut  to  crack  in 
the  councils  of  experienced  European  missionaries, 
how  much  more  perplexing  would  the  position  be  to 
a  native  clergyman  in  the  shallows  of  his  training  and 
experience.  Upon  the  subject  of  slavery  he  had 
naturally  very  strong  opinions,  and  it  would  have 
been  useless  for  any  philosophic  apologist  for  this 
evil  to  dispute  long  in  his  presence  thereon.  Root 
and  branch,  in  his  opinion,  it  was  of  the  evil  one, 
and  was  responsible  for  the  blight  and  misery  of 
his  country.  Like  Livingstone,  the  Bishop  was  not 
afraid  to  speak  his  mind,  and  to  denounce  because 
he  knew.  And  lastly,  and  perhaps  especially,  he 
felt  that  he  and  his  clergy  were  face  to  face  with 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS      277 

Mohammedanism,  and  he  was  particularly  careful 
in  giving  his  advice  as  regards  this,  one  of  the  greatest 
hindrances  in  the  way  of  Christianity  in  Africa. 
On  this  point  he  took  a  decided  stand,  and  maintained 
it  to  the  finish.  It  has  been  already  seen  how  he 
treated  the  Mohammedans  as  individuals,  and  that 
wherever  he  came  in  contact  with  their  rulers  they 
accepted  him  as  a  wise  and  righteous  man.  We  shall 
now  pass  in  review  his  spoken  or  written  views  upon 
these  and  other  questions,  apart  from  which  some  of 
the  letters  will  disclose  many  deeply  interesting 
personal  touches. 

In  his  first  charge,  delivered  in  1867,  the  Bishop 
very  properly  reviewed  the  work  from  the  beginning, 
in  order  "  to  know  what  has  been  done,  in  what  way 
it  has  been  done,  to  detect  our  errors  and  correct  them, 
so  as  to  be  able  to  start  with  fresh  vigour  and  earnest- 
ness in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  in  this  good  work." 
He  laments  the  breakdown  of  the  Expedition  of  1841, 
and  the  consequent  blow  of  disappointment  it  gave 
to  those  who  had  projected  it,  and  not  less  to  the 
natives,  who  had  been  encouraged  to  believe  that  a 
bright  era  of  light  and  prosperity  had  come  to  Africa. 

It  appeared  as  if  the  Niger  was  doomed  to  remain  in  per- 
petual seclusion  and  its  mighty  waters  destined  to  float  down 
only  human  cargoes,  aggravating  the  miseries  of  the  country 
and  her  people,  as  if,  instead  of  becoming  a  highway  through 
which  to  convey  light,  life,  and  liberty  into  the  heart  of  the 
country,  it  should  present,  as  it  were,  an  impassable  barrier 
to  their  introduction,  and  thus  keep  the  people  and  country 
still  in  the  darkness  of  superstition,  ignorance,  and  vice,  in  a 
most  servile  and  abject  degradation  and  slavery,  and  in  a 
state  of  spiritual  death,  in  trespasses  and  sins. 


278     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

He  then  recounts  the  subsequent  history  of  the 
mission,  through  what  difficulties  it  has  had  to  fight 
its  way  and  how,  by  a  mysterious  Providence,  they 
have  had  to  lose  by  death  some  of  their  most  valued 
native  helpers  at  a  time  when,  in  their  human  judg- 
ment, they  were  most  indispensable.  But  they  have 
cause  for  thankfulness  : 

^When  we  look  back  to  the  results  of  these  feeble  attempts 
to  plant  the  banner  of  the  Cross  among  our  benighted  country- 
men, and  that  too  under  many  disadvantageous  circum- 
stances, one  of  which  has  been  a  want  of  regular  communication 
and  supplies — though  we  have  not  much  to  speak  of — yet  we 
have  cause  to  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard  that, 
under  peculiar  trying  circumstances,  He  has  not  left  Himself 
without  a  witness.  His  Word,  preached  by  faith  in  His  name, 
has  not  returned  unto  Him  void  ;  marked  changes  have  been 
perceptibly  observed  and  felt  and  pubUcly  acknowledged  by 
both  chiefs  and  people.  The  worship  of  idols  is  being  duly 
reflected  upon  by  a  large  number  of  the  population,  as  far  as 
our  influence,  or  rather  the  influence  of  our  preaching,  has 
been  felt ;  the  system  of  idol  worship  is  being  looked  upon  by 
such  persons  to  be  of  no  value,  and  the  fears  of  receiving  injury 
from  their  imaginary  deities  are  gradually  losing  their  hold 
upon  the  minds  of  the  people. 

Like  the  late  Sir  Fowell  Buxton,  the  Bishop  was 
a  firm  believer  in  "  the  Gospel  and  the  Plough " ; 
in  other  words,  the  combination  of  Christianity 
and  industry.  He  tells  his  hearers  that  when  he 
arrived  at  Onitsha,  in  1857,  the  people  were  in  a  state 
of  downright  idleness  ;  they  were  scantily  and  filthily 
clothed,  the  old  crops  were  insufficient  and  they  were 
too  lazy  to  grow  more,  though  the  soil  was  so  ex- 
ceedingly fertile.  So  when  they  had  months  of  semi- 
starvation  they  were  content  to  live  on  wild  fruits 
and  edible  plants.     But  the  mission  introduced  the 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     279 

cultivation  of  the  cassava  plants  and  other  fruit 
trees,  and  one  of  their  pastors  took  great  pains  to 
teach  them  to  raise  a  second  crop  of  Indian  corn, 
and  to  make  more  of  their  yams.  Now,  as  a  result, 
they  are  cleanly  and  orderly,  and  so  the  effort  of  the 
workers  in  this  respect  has  not  been  altogether  without 
success. 

I  regard  industry  (says  the  Bishop)  as  a  necessary  though 
a  secondary  part  of  missionary  labours  ;  it  is  a  direct  com- 
mand of  the  apostle  Paul  to  the  converts  at  Thessalonica  : 
"  For  even  when  we  were  with  you,  this  we  commanded  you, 
that  if  any  would  not  work,  neither  should  he  eat.  For  we 
hear  that  there  are  some  which  walk  among  you  disorderly, 
not  working  at  all,  but  are  busy-bodies.  Now  them  that  are 
such  we  command  and  exhort  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that 
with  quietness  they  work,  and  eat  their  own  bread  "  (2  Thess. 
iii.  10-12).  Those  who  were  already  made  converts  are  com- 
manded and  urged  to  habits  of  industry.  I  have  enlarged 
upon  this  head  thus  much  to  show  that  we  have  acted  con- 
sistently with  our  profession  by  introducing  the  Gospel  and 
the  plough,  or  Christianity  and  industry  ;  both  have  worked 
hand  in  hand — the  Gospel  primarily,  industry  as  the  hand- 
maid to  the  Gospel. 

But  in  these  days  it  is  necessary  to  guard  such  a  statement 
as  I  have  now  made  from  being  misunderstood.  Beware  of 
those  who  propose  to  suspend,  at  the  beginning,  teaching  the 
people  by  preaching,  and  first  to  teach  them  mechanical  arts 
and  industrial  habits  to  better  their  temporal  condition  ;  and 
then  afterwards  to  introduce  Christianity  among  the  people 
as  a  secondary  thing  ;  then,  say  these  men  of  reason,  the 
heathen  will  believe  your  preaching,  because  they  will  say 
these  men,  who  have  taught  us  to  make  our  houses  better,  to 
cultivate  our  lands,  and  to  better  our  temporal  condition, 
must  be  true  in  what  they  tell  us  of  their  new  religion.  I  have 
been  positively  told  by  one  of  these  reasonable  advisers  that 
unless  I  put  aside  teaching  the  natives  the  art  of  reading  and 
writing,  and  teach  them  carpentry,  coopery,  cookery,  etc.,  he 
would  never  subscribe  a  farthing  towards  my  missionary  work 
to  convert  the  heathen. 

But,  my  dear  brethren,  to  set  aside  these  futile  reasonings 


28o     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

we  need  not  go  as  far  as  the  Chinese  or  to  the  Hindoos  in  the 
East,  who  have  been  notable  for  ages  for  skill  in  works  of  art 
or  for  a  state  of  affluence,  and  who  are  not  behind  in  the 
literature  of  the  East.  Let  us  look  at  home,  and  make  our 
advisers  themselves  our  witnesses,  who  not  only  have  the 
honour  of  being  the  sons  of  the  first  nation  in  the  world,  the 
country  which  is  the  seat  of  health  and  of  arts  and  sciences,  in 
their  present  perfection,  but  also  the  sons  of  the  nation  which 
is  the  mainspring  of  the  world,  through  her  wealth  putting  all 
in  motion  both  by  land  and  water,  through  the  invention  of 
steam,  and  who  can  communicate  their  minds  from  one 
country  to  another  with  the  quickness  of  the  lightning  through 
electricity.  Surely  our  advisers  cannot  deny  this  wonderful 
pre-eminence  attained  by  their  nation  above  all  others.  Let 
us  ask  them  what  favourable  effects  have  these  wonderful 
advantages  had  upon  their  minds  towards  the  reception  of 
the  Gospel  ?  Do  they  so  much  as  pay  the  smallest  tribute  to 
the  Bible  and  the  religion  which  it  teaches  as  being  the  source 
from  which  all  these  blessings  flow  ?  I  fear  there  are  no  such 
effects.  Neither  themselves  nor  many  who  maintain  such  an 
opinion  are  found  near  the  doors  of  the  places  where  the 
Gospel  is  preached  ;  it  is  to  them  foolishness.  Would  their 
plan  be  more  favourable  among  the  heathens  ?  Painful  ex- 
perience belies  this. 

The  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty, 
through  God,  to  the  pulling  down  of  strongholds  ;  it  is  the 
faithful  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  which  is  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth  ;  it  is  that  alone 
which  can  work  a  change  in  hearts  both  at  home  and  abroad. 


While  appreciating  all  agencies  which  would  tend 
to  the  civilization  and  betterment  of  his  countrymen, 
the  Bishop  always  made  a  great  point  of  keeping 
first  things  first.  He  always  accounted  it  the  primary 
duty  of  every  missionary  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and 
he  begged  his  clergy  to  maintain  the  simple  efficacy 
of  the  way  of  salvation.  Let  them  not  be  led  aside 
by  the  counsels  of  men,  nor  make  as  their  model  in 
conduct  and  service  any  but  the  Great  Pattern,  asking 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     281 

in  every  time  of  perplexity  "  What  would  Jesus  do 
in  my  place  ?  "  He  pleaded  for  a  message  that  even 
a  child  might  take  in  : 

Whether  we  hope  to  make  converts  from  among  the 
heathen  or  from  the  followers  of  Mohammed,  our  aim  should 
always  be  to  preach  to  all  as  to  needy  and  helpless  sinners 
who  must  be  pardoned  through  the  atoning  blood  of  Christ 
alone.  Preach  without  a  prejudiced  mind  ;  the  hearts  into 
which  the  seed  is  sown  belong  to  the  Lord,  who  owns  both 
the  seed  and  the  hearts.  The  growth  of  the  seed  cast  into  such 
a  heart  is  in  His  power,  just  as  we  sow  our  natural  seed  both 
morning  and  evening,  and  know  not  whether  this  or  that 
shall  prosper,  or  whether  both  should  be  alike  good.  So  must 
we  preach  the  Gospel  to  a  mixed  congregation  of  heathen  and 
Mohammedan,  thus  sowing  by  prayer  and  faith  ;  we  must 
leave  the  results  to  the  Disposer  of  all  hearts,  who  can  in- 
fluence them  by  the  inspiration  of  His  Holy  Spirit. 

Again,  in  preaching  divest  yourself  of  a  disposition 
with  Mohammedans  or  to  censure  heathens  ;  rather  be 
possessed  with  the  feelings  of  sympathy  with  all  classes  of 
hearers.  Whenever  there  is  an  opportunity  of  preaching  to 
or  speaking  with  Mohammedans,  unfold  the  truth  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  in  its  fulness,  commending  the  truth  to  their 
consciences  in  the  sight  of  God.  It  was  not  always  that 
Christ  made  severe  rebukes  upon  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees, 
as  hypocrites,  in  His  discourses,  though  some  were  always 
probably  present  to  hear  Him,  though  not  with  the  intention 
to  profit,  but  to  watch  and  catch  something  from  His  mouth, 
that  they  might  accuse  Him.  Though  He  knew  this,  yet 
generally  He  preached  as  if  He  knew  not  their  wicked  inten- 
tions. The  effects  on  them  we  are  told  thus  :  "  Among  the 
chief  rulers  also  many  believed  on  Him  ;  but  because  of  the 
Pharisees  they  did  not  confess  Him,  lest  they  should  be  put 
out  of  the  synagogue  :  for  they  loved  the  praise  of  men  more 
than  the  praise  of  God."  Even  the  officers  who  were  sent  on 
one  occasion  to  apprehend  Him  were  disarmed  by  His  power- 
ful and  resistless  preaching,  and  returned  without  Him  with 
this  conviction  and  frank  confession  of  His  heart-searching 
sermon  :  "  Never  man  spake  like  this  Man."  Aim  at  supply- 
ing the  hearts  of  the  heathen  with  the  infallible  truth  of  the 
Gospel  of  Christ,  in  the  room  of  the  doctrines  and  command- 
ments of  men. 


282     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

With  the  heathen  population  we  have  mostly  and  chiefly 
to  do  ;  them  you  must  not  censure  as  ignorant,  stupid,  and 
foolish  idolaters  ;  your  dealing  with  them  must  be  that  of 
sympathy  and  love,  as  you  would  deal  with  the  blind  who 
errs  out  of  the  way.  Surely  he  would  not  have  wittingly  gone 
out  of  the  way  but  for  want  of  sight.  Thus  the  Bible  tells  us : 
"  He  [Satan]  hath  shut  their  eyes  that  they  cannot  see,  and 
their  hearts  that  they  cannot  understand." 

When  we  first  introduce  the  Gospel  to  any  people  we 
should  take  advantage  of  any  principles  which  they  them- 
selves admit.  Thus,  though  the  heathen  in  this  part  of  Africa 
possess  no  written  legends,  yet  wherever  we  turn  our  eyes 
we  find  among  them,  in  their  animal  sacrifices,  a  text  which 
is  the  mainspring  of  Christian  faith  :  "  Without  shedding  of 
blood  there  is  no  remission."  Therefore  we  may  with  pro- 
priety say  :  "  That  which  ye  ignorantly  practise,  declare  we 
unto  you."  "  The  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  ^  God 
cleanseth  from  all  sin." 

No  man  appreciated  intellectual  culture  more  than 
the  Bishop,  and  he  frequently  pointed  out  the  dis- 
advantage under  which  the  African  labours  through 
having  no  written  language,  and  therefore  no  litera- 
ture. He  assured  his  clergy  that,  apart  from  gifts 
of  tongues,  of  healing  and  miracles,  which  God  gave 
as  credentials  of  their  Divine  mission,  the  Apostles 
found  it  a  great  advantage  that  the  age  in  which 
Christianity  was  introduced  into  the  world  was  that 
of  literature.  Both  the  Greeks  and  the  Romans 
were  men  of  letters,  with  an  imperishable  treasure  of 
writings,  the  Jews  were  versed  in  the  oracles  of  God, 
the  Thessalonians  and  Bereans  searched  the  Scriptures, 
and  when  those  who  used  curious  gifts  were  converted, 
they  brought  out  their  books  and  burned  them  before 
all  men.  In  dealing  with  such  a  people,  the  Bishop 
declares,  you  could  get  them  to  compare  one  writing 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     283 

with  another,  to  search  and  prove  for  themselves, 
not  depending  only  upon  the  uttered  word  of  the 
Apostles.  And  this,  he  urges,  is  the  advantage  to-day, 
where  the  missionary  goes  to  a  people  who  read  for 
themselves.  But  the  African  never  had  books,  and 
is  not  a  reader.  With  this  disadvantage,  then,  the 
missionary  must  make  a  written  language  from  the 
lips  of  the  natives,  and  then  teach  them  the  use  of 
it  in  books.  And  he  shows  that  by  patient  effort  they 
have  in  this  Niger  mission  succeeded  in  getting  over 
this  difficulty  : 

This  great  drawback  must  be  gradually  overcome  by  a 
steady  and  persevering  labour  in  places  where  we  have  to 
establish  new  missions.  Where  this  great  difficulty  has  been 
overcome,  the  hitherto  ignorant  natives,  who  had  never  known 
how  to  desire  information  from  the  thoughts  of  others  through 
the  medium  of  books,  nor  how  to  communicate  their  own 
thoughts  to  others  through  that  channel,  have  betaken  them- 
selves, with  all  diligence,  to  acquire  the  art  of  reading  ;  and 
it  may  be  witnessed  in  those  who  have  mastered  this  new  and 
mysterious  acquirement  what  is  their  estimate  of  the  art  of 
reading  by  their  attachment  to  portions  of  God's  Holy  Word 
translated  into  their  native  tongue,  which  they  value  as  a 
pearl  of  great  price.  They,  having  nothing  here,  like  the  Vedas 
of  the  Hindoos,  from  which  to  argue  for  the  antiquity  of  their 
mythology,  and  nothing,  like  the  Koran  of  the  Mohammedans, 
to  stiffen  them  in  arguing  for  the  superiority  of  the  religion  of 
Mohammed  to  that  of  Christ,  receive  the  translated  portions  of 
the  Bible  which  we  put  into  their  hands  with  the  eagerness 
and  simplicity  of  children,  even  the  engrafted  Word  which  is 
able  to  save  their  souls.  Thus  God  is  overruling  the  very 
great  obstacle  in  the  way  of  the  rapid  progress  of  Christian 
missions,  wherever  it  has  been  overcome,  by  persevering 
labour  and  faith  to  a  permanent  establishment  of  the  know- 
ledge of  His  Gospel  among  the  heathen. 

But  one  of  the  most  serious  problems  of  the  African 
mission   field   was   then,   and  is   now,   the   universal 


284     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

system  of  polygamy.  It  is  not  easy,  sitting  by 
an  English  fireside  or  enjoying  the  stimulating  at- 
mosphere of  a  missionary  meeting,  for  home-staying 
Christians  to  understand  what  a  difficulty  lies  here. 
It  is  not  sufficient  to  waive  its  discussion  aside  as 
a  foregone  conclusion  of  illegahty ;  polygamy  has  such 
an  inherited  hold  upon  the  African  character,  its 
roots  go  so  far  down,  and  spread  out  so  widely,  that 
its  treatment  from  a  missionary  point  of  view  is  not 
so  easy  as  might  be  imagined.  It  has  also  its  discreet 
apologists  within  Christian  borders.  Travellers  have 
come  from  explorations  which  have  brought  them 
into  intimate  contact  with  the  native  at  home,  and 
they  have  written  pages  in  their  travel  books  in  which 
the  system  is  declared  to  be  a  necessity,  and  indeed 
as  a  beneficial  arrangement  of  family  life  in  Africa. 
This,  however,  has  been  more  especially  the  case 
where  the  writer  has  held  a  sort  of  watching  brief  for 
Mohammedanism,  because  it  is  associated  with  and 
sanctioned  by  the  ruling  professors  of  that  creed. 
English  missionaries  have  been  confronted  with  this 
difficulty,  and  turned  their  faces  homeward  for  the 
best  advice  ;  in  some  cases  there  seemed  such  possi- 
bilities of  success,  if  on  this  point  things  might  be 
left  undisturbed,  while  to  insist  upon  a  man  having 
one  wife  and  dismissing  a  dozen  as  an  essential  quali- 
fication for  church  membership  meant  mountains 
of  failure.  Upon  one  point,  however,  there  could 
be  no  considerable  divergence  of  opinion,  and  that 
was  that  a  polygamist  could  not  there,  any  more 
than  here,  be  a  satisfactory  Christian  convert.     The 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     285 

principle  of  more  wives  than  one  is  so  clearly  at 
variance  with  Christian  teaching  and  rule  that  no 
Church  would  venture  upon  a  compromise  to  circum- 
stances, however  difficult,  or  practice,  however  ancient. 
The  position  of  the  Bishop  on  such  a  question  has 
a  special  claim  to  our  serious  consideration.  He 
was  a  negro,  had  been  brought  up  in  touch  with  this 
common  system  of  his  superiors  ;  he  knew,  if  any 
man  could,  its  ramifications  in  tribal  Hfe,  and  he  saw, 
as  a  Bishop,  that  whatever  stand  he  took  upon  the 
subject  would  be  assumed  also  by  his  clergy  with 
implicit  confidence.  The  clarion  gave  forth  no  un- 
certain sound.  Fearlessly  grapphng  with  the  subject, 
before  a  native  audience  living  in  the  midst  of  it, 
he  instructed  his  pastors  what  to  think  and  do  : 

Many  would  place  it  prominently  above  all  other  obstacles 
in  the  way  of  Christian  missions  in  Africa,  but  perhaps  I  do 
not  go  to  the  same  extent  as  they  do  in  ranking  it  as  the 
greatest  hindrance  in  the  way  of  the  heathen  embracing 
Christianity,  though  it  is  the  most  common.  The  system 
prevails  throughout  the  country  ;  it  insinuates  itself  into  the 
corrupt  and  unsubdued  will  of  the  children  of  Adam  ;  it  has 
become  a  second  nature,  to  break  off  from  it  is  to  part  with 
the  right  eye,  the  right  hand,  or  the  right  foot  ;  it  is  such  a 
darling  system  to  depraved  nature  that  it  does  not  only 
enslave  the  practisers  of  it  themselves,  but  it  presses  thousands 
of  unwilUng  victims  into  its  service.  So  the  song  of  the  women 
of  Israel  in  honour  of  David  after  his  successive  victories  over 
the  Philistines  may  be  well  appUed  to  this  system  :  "  Saul 
has  slain  his  thousands,  and  David  his  ten  thousands."  Other 
obstacles,  taken  separately,  have  kept  back  each  its  thousands, 
but  the  system  of  polygamy  its  ten  thousands.  The  system 
is  a  web  of  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  which  is  the  parent  evil.  .  .  . 
But  when  once  the  old  man  is  crucified  the  meshes  of  polygamy 
will  give  way,  and  the  wrongly  oppressed  victims  enclosed 
therein  will  easily  be  set  at  liberty  and  the  system  abolished. 


286     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

"  For  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  Life  in  Christ  Jesus  hath  made 
me  free  from  the  law  of  sin  and  death  "  (Rom.  viii.  2). 

But  as  some  have  in  this  day  advocated  the  admission  of 
polygamists  into  the  Christian  Church,  let  us  honestly  view 
this  subject  in  its  various  bearings  and  inquire  into  the  law- 
fulness and  unlawfulness  of  the  system  from  God's  own  Word 
and  acts  and  from  its  effect  upon  our  social  state  and  happiness. 

The  Bishop  then  took  his  Hstening  clergy  step  by 
step  through  the  teaching  of  Holy  Scripture  on  the 
subject,  showing  that  from  the  beginning,  when 
God  put  the  first  man  into  Eden  and  gave  him  a 
helpmeet,  right  along  to  the  Christian  teaching  of 
the  New  Testament,  it  is  the  Divine  law  that 
a  man  shall  have  one  wife,  and  that  to  her  he  should 
cleave  without  rivalry  or  dishonour.  He  has  been 
stirred  up  by  reading  reviews  of  recent  books  in  the 
English  papers,  in  which  polygamy  is  presented  in 
rosy  colours,  but  he  tells  the  naked  truth  about  its 
evil  effects  on  his  country-women  : 

It  has  enslaved  the  female  population  of  the  countries 
where  it  prevails,  and  made  many  to  be  miserable  victims  to 
the  cruel  lust  and  depraved  appetite  of  one  man.  It  has 
wrenched  from  them  the  right  of  nature  which  God  has  im- 
planted in  each  for  her  own  social  happiness.  Let  us  stand 
above  the  level  and  take  a  view  of  this  social  evil.  We  are  in 
the  midst  of  it,  and  are  in  no  danger  of  misrepresentation.  .  .  . 
It  is  impossible  for  every  polygamist  in  this  country  to  sup- 
port from  two  to  half  a  dozen  wives  out  of  his  own  scanty 
resources,  and  when  this  is  the  case  there  is  no  alternative 
but  that  every  wife  must  enter  into  a  life  of  labour  and  drud- 
gery and  shift  for  herself  the  best  way  she  can.  Hence  to 
earn  her  own  livelihood  she  must  become  a  carrier  of  loads 
from  one  market  town  to  another,  or  she  must  be  a  trader  to 
neighbouring  towns  and  tribes,  which  involves  an  absence  of 
days  and  weeks  and  months  from  home,  and  on  her  return 
it  has  not  unfrequently  happened  that  she  provides  for  the 
husband  out  of  her  earnings  in  addition  to  providing  for  her- 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     287 

self  and  her  children,  if  she  has  any,  for  the  chief  care  of  the 
children  devolves  on  the  mother  and  her  relatives.  The  occa- 
sional gift  of  a  few  cowries  from  the  father  to  the  children  for 
their  morning  gruel,  and  perhaps  occasional  share  of  yams 
to  the  mother,  constitute  mainly  the  support  of  the  father.  .  .  . 
It  has  been  often  remarked  by  the  men  themselves  that  when 
a  man  had  but  one  wife  there  was  that  degree  of  love  and 
affection  between  them  as  might  be  observed  in  a  married 
state  in  civilized  countries — they  were  one  in  everything. 
But  no  sooner  was  a  second  wife  added  than  the  cord  of  union 
and  affection  was  broken,  and  domestic  evils  immediately 
showed  themselves.  Hence  arose  this  memorable  proverb 
among  the  Yoruba  females  :  Obiri  ko  rubo  ki  0  li  orogun  ("No 
woman  would  ever  undergo  the  expenses  of  a  sacrifice  to 
procure  a  rival  ") ;  that  is,  that  her  husband  may  have  an 
additional  wife.  These  are  the  feelings  of  the  female  popula- 
tion on  the  subject.  The  proverb  is  their  own  ;  it  is  their 
watchword,  showing  the  repugnance  of  their  feelings  against 
the  system,  and  may  be  heard  among  them  to-day  ;  but  it 
is  generally  suppressed  like  their  other  proper  rights,  which 
they  forego  for  fear  of  being  reproached  with  jealousy. 

After  denouncing  the  system  of  the  harem  of  the 

chief,  often  a  walled  enclosure  like  a  prison,  he  strikes 

at  the  roots  of  the  evil  of  polygamy  as  consisting,  not 

for  any  useful  purpose,  but  as  an  instrument  of  sin. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  these  words  were  spoken 

at  a  time  when  the  system  had  found  defenders  in 

England  : 

The  system  of  polygamy  will  not  check  the  evil  of  sen- 
suality, or  else  we  would  not  have  occasion  so  often  to  witness 
the  accusation  of  one  polygamist  against  another  for  intrusion 
into  his  right.  And  if  the  principle  be  such  as  has  been  stated, 
whether  we  look  at  it,  on  the  one  hand,  from  the  personal 
wrong  done  to  the  female  sex,  or,  on  the  other  hand,  the  in- 
justice and  oppression  of  which  the  man  is  guilty,  who,  I  may 
ask,  correctly  knowing  this  state  of  things,  can  conscientiously 
recommend  its  continuance  ?  Captain  Burton,  referring  to 
this  common  practice  of  polygamy  in  his  book  on  "  Abeokuta 
and  the  Cameroons,"  says  :     "  Polygamy  is  the  foundation- 


288     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

stone  of  Yoruba  Society.  I  can  assure  these  missionaries 
that  had  less  objection  been  made  to  polygamy  on  their  part, 
the  heathen  would  have  found  fewer  obstacles  to  conversion. 
Those  who  hold  it  their  duty  to  save  souls  should  seriously 
consider  whether  they  are  justified  in  placing  such  stumbling 
blocks  upon  the  path  of  improvement." 

It  has  been  suggested  by  some  that  the  present  polygamists 
could  be  received  into  the  Church  by  the  Sacrament  of  baptism 
on  the  condition  that  such  persons  promise  not  to  add  to  their 
already  possessed  wives  ;  but  who  can  guarantee  that  young 
persons  will  not  purposely  hold  back  till  they  have  possessed 
as  many  wives  as  their  hearts  desire  before  they  offer  them- 
selves to  be  admitted  into  the  Church  by  the  same  rite  as  the 
example  of  their  fathers  ?  The  human  heart  is  so  deceitful 
and  desperately  wicked  that  it  will  ever  find  a  loophole  to 
gratify  its  carnal  propensity.  Once  establish  a  precedent,  you 
cannot  easily  change  it. 

Having  adverted  to  the  system  of  polygamy  as  being  a 
great  hindrance  in  the  way  of  the  male  population  to  embrace 
Christianity,  it  remains  also  to  ask  what  hinders  the  female 
population  from  a  readier  profession  of  religion.  Whether 
their  husbands  be  polygamists  or  not,  as  long  as  a  woman 
remains  faithful  to  her  husband,  upon  her  profession  of  faith 
in  Christ  as  the  all-sufficient  Saviour  of  sinners,  after  a  course 
of  instruction  she  is  received  into  the  Church  by  baptism  ; 
her  husband's  fault  cannot  be  imputed  to  her,  and  if  her  will 
were  consulted  she  would  rather  be  the  only  helpmeet  for  him. 

In  his  charge  on  8  October,  1885,  the  Bishop  drew 
special  attention  to  Mohammedanism,  and  in  this 
instance  also  he  was  moved  to  plainer  speaking, 
because  certain  travellers  who  had  spent  a  com- 
paratively short  time  in  Africa  had  returned  to  Eng- 
land to  eulogize,  by  speech  and  written  word,  the 
religion  of  the  False  Prophet.  He  evidently  feared 
lest  in  the  minds  of  Christian  people  at  home  some 
mistaken  ideas  might  exist  as  to  the  real  meaning 
of  Mohammedanism  as  a  menace  to  the  spread  of 
Christianity,    especially    in    Africa.     To    many    Islam 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     289 

is  only  a  word,  without  a  ripple  of  interest,  to  others 
it  is  a  force  which  terrifies  in  its  possibilities  ;  others, 
however,  regard  it  as  a  beneficent  factor  in  the  hves 
of  millions.  What  Crowther  thought  will  be  gathered 
from  these  words  to  his  brethren  : 

Mohammedanism  arms  the  hearts  of  its  professors  with 
deadly  weapons  against  Christianity,  by  denying  its  funda- 
mental doctrine,  the  Sonship  of  Christ,  and  His  Divinity  as 
one  with  God  the  Father  to  be  blasphemy  according  to  the 
teaching  of  the  Koran.  Thus  their  hearts  are  hardened  with 
prejudices,  self-conceit,  self-righteous  spirit,  and  self-confidence 
in  their  meritorious  religious  performances,  especially  in 
prayer  and  fasting  and  the  works  of  supererogation,  which 
they  believe  they  can  make  over  for  the  benefit  of  others  who 
are  deficient. 

They  are  freely  allowed  the  indulgence  of  the  sinful  lust 
of  the  flesh  ;  they  do  not  scruple  to  commit  acts  of  cruelty 
and  oppression  on  those  who  are  not  professors  of  their  faith. 
Slave-holding  and  trading  is  fully  sanctioned,  to  carry  out 
which  slave  wars  are  waged  against  the  heathen  with  great 
cruelty,  in  order  to  enslave  them  with  oppression  and  violence 
without  remorse,  contrary  to  the  law  of  Christ :  "  Do  to 
others  as  you  would  they  should  do  to  you."  Hence  slave 
wars  have  desolated  the  lands  of  populous  heathen  tribes  and 
nations,  whose  inhabitants  were  carried  away  captives  and 
sold  into  slavery  ;  and  those  who  are  reserved  in  the  country 
are  doomed  to  perpetual  servitude — hewers  of  wood  and 
drawers  of  water,  and  most  oppressive  tributaries.  This  is  a 
faint  description  of  the  soil  of  the  minds  of  the  professors  of 
Islam,  in  which  the  seed  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  being 
attempted  to  be  sown  by  preaching  repentance  of  sin  and  a 
renewed  change  of  heart  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  the 
Son  of  God,  who  is  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life,  without 
whom  none  can  come  to  the  Father.  But  for  all  his  earnest- 
ness the  preacher  is  looked  upon  with  horrified  contempt  as  a 
blasphemer,  because  God  never  had  a  Son.  "  There  is  no  God 
but  God,  and  Mohammed  is  His  prophet." 

The   Bishop  subsequently  pointed  out  how  great 
was  the  belief  of  these  poor  people  in  charms,  and 
u 


290     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

that  he  was  continually  being  asked  for  scraps  of 
the  Bible  to  wear  as  a  means  of  preventing  sickness. 
He  tells  a  curious  story  of  an  old  chief  who  paid 
him  a  visit  while  at  Bida,  bringing  with  him  a  present 
of  two  fowls  ;  but  it  soon  transpired  that  this  generosity 
was  only  to  get  from  him  in  return  a  few  sheets  of 
the  white  man's  paper.  On  being  pressed  to  disclose 
what  use  he  intended  to  make  of  it,  the  chief  ad- 
mitted that  he  had  lost  twelve  horses,  and  was  anxious 
to  keep  the  remaining  one  by  tying  protective  charms 
about  its  body.  The  Bishop,  however,  reasoned  with 
him,  telling  him  that  bits  of  paper  with  scraps  of 
writing,  either  from  the  Koran  or  the  Bible,  could 
never  charm  away  evil.  He  told  him,  moreover, 
that  for  twelve  years  he  had  ridden  the  same  horse 
in  his  missionary  journeys,  without  wearing  a  single 
charm.  What  he  did  was  to  wash  and  currycomb 
the  horse  regularly,  never  expose  him  to  the  sun  at 
midday,  and  always  feed  him  well.  This  chief  must 
have  been  an  open-minded  man,  for  he  thanked  the 
Bishop  for  his  good  advice,  and  said  he  would  not 
want  any  paper  after  that. 

The  Bishop,  however,  declared  that  the  women 
were  really  more  under  the  spell  of  superstition 
than  the  men.  They  were  more  addicted  to  idolatrous 
worship,  and  so  mixed  up  with  their  priestesses, 
that  it  was  very  difficult  to  get  over  the  barriers.  The 
position  seemed  different  from  that  of  other  lands 
and  in  other  ages,  when  women  were  always  the  first 
to  believe.  In  this  respect  they  are  very  much  under 
the  influence  of  their  grandmothers,  who  form  one 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     291 

of  the  most  serious  hindrances  to  the  spread  of  the 
Gospel.  They  very  much  encourage  and  foster  the 
faith  of  children  in  that  subtle  system  of  charms 
which  the  Mohammedans  adopt  to  enslave  the  native 
mind.  They  write  short  sentences  of  the  Koran  in 
Arabic  on  bits  of  parchment,  and  sell  these  at  a  price 
to  suit  all  cases  to  the  people.  Some  of  these,  the 
Bishop  pointed  out,  were  used  as  protective  charms, 
making  the  wearer  safe  against  any  danger  at  home 
or  abroad,  sickness,  witchcraft,  or  the  evil  eye  ; 
warding  off  arms  in  war,  blunting  the  edges  of  swords, 
etc.  ;  also  vanishing  charms  to  enable  him  to  dis- 
appear from  the  clutch  of  an  enemy,  and,  to  mention 
no  others,  there  are  the  confounding  charms,  which 
are  supposed  to  enchant  others,  so  that  they  cannot 
stir. 

The  Bishop  truly  said  on  this  subject,  "  Can  we  be 
surprised  that  the  foolish  heathen,  who  are  thus 
worked  up  by  a  man  looking  into  a  book  and  writing 
out  such  scraps  from  it  in  the  name  of  God  and  Mo- 
hammed His  prophet,  are  more  easily  made  converts 
to  Mohammedanism  than  to  Christianity  ?  But  Chris  - 
tian  missionaries  cannot  have  recourse  to  such  deceits 
to  recommend  the  way  of  salvation  to  the  heathen." 

In  the  course  of  a  noteworthy  speech  delivered 
at  Exeter  Hall  at  the  May  meeting  in  1873,  the  Bishop 
told  his  audience  how  Moslem  converts  are  made, 
and  showed  the  superficial  and  superstitious  character 
of  the  native  profession  of  that  creed. 

If  it  be  said  that  Mohammedanism  makes  more  converts 
than  Christianity,  I  say  it  is  true.     Mohammedanism  makes 


292     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

converts  because  it  finds  the  native  mind  in  a  fit  state  to 
receive  its  teaching.  The  whole  country  was  heathen  some 
two  hundred  years  ago,  when  Mohammedanism  made  inroads 
into  the  interior  ;  and  through  slave  wars  they  made  con- 
quests, and  those  who  were  conquered  must  become  Moham- 
medan or  be  sold  into  foreign  slavery.  Of  the  two  alternatives, 
certainly  it  is  better  to  become  a  Mohammedan  than  to  be 
sold  away  and  to  be  transported  across  the  Atlantic.  When 
I  went  to  the  banks  of  the  Niger  I  saw  Mohammedans  opening 
their  schools,  and  men  and  women  went  to  them.  What  did 
they  go  for  ?  To  receive  scraps  of  the  Koran.  When  a  man 
goes  to  the  market  he  will  go  to  the  priest  and  ask  for  success 
in  his  trade,  and  a  mother  will  go  and  ask  for  prosperity  in 
her  household.  The  Mohammedan  priest  issues  scraps  of  paper 
to  these  people.  He  tells  the  man  who  goes  to  market  to  tie 
one  of  these  scraps  round  his  neck  and  he  will  be  successful  ; 
and  he  tells  the  mother  who  goes  to  ask  for  prosperity  in  her 
household  that  it  shall  be  well  with  her.  And  the  poor  super- 
stitious people  receive  these  papers,  and  when  anything 
happens  as  was  foretold  the  child  becomes  a  Mohammedan. 
I  was  applied  to  by  heathens  to  give  them  scraps  of  paper  the 
same  as  the  Mohammedan  priests  did,  and  I  refused.  Even 
some  of  our  friends,  the  Europeans,  would  say  :  "  Give  them 
papers,  it  does  no  harm."  But  I  said  it  does  a  great  deal  of 
harm.  If  I  would  have  given  them  scraps  of  paper,  I  could 
have  given  them  scraps  of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  have  got 
them  to  come  to  me.  But  these  papers  would  have  led  them 
into  error,  and  we  do  not  make  our  converts  that  way.  God 
forbid.  I  would  rather  let  the  Mohammedans  take  possession 
of  the  field,  and  that  we  should  be  without  any  converts  at  all, 
than  that  we  should  use  cunningly  devised  frauds  to  deceive 
souls,  leading  them  into  hell. 

Upon  the  practical  question  of  how  to  deal  with 
Mohammedans  the  Bishop  had  something  to  say 
to  his  clergy.  His  advice  will  probably  commend 
itself  to  missionaries  even  at  this  present  time.  He 
indicates  a  course  of  courtesy,  and  demonstrates  how 
much  evil  in  the  past  has  accrued  from  ignorance 
of  the  Moslem,  and  consequent  mistakes  in  managing 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     293 

him.  On  this  subject  extracts  from  three  letters 
written  by  the  Bishop  will  be  of  interest.  In  the 
first  he  is  insisting  on  the  value  of  a  knowledge  of 
Arabic  in  work  among  Moslems  ;  in  the  second  he 
shows  their  willingness  to  receive  the  word  of  testi- 
mony ;  and  in  the  third,  written  thirty-five  years 
later,  we  see  even  the  mallams  paying  due  respect 
to  the  Christian  Scriptures  : 

To  the  Rev.  Hy.  Venn. 

Fernando  Po,  22  June,  1857. 
It  is  very  useful  to  be  exercised  in  Greek  and  Latin,  and 
if  possible,  in  Hebrew  characters  and  inflections,  but  I  think 
Arabic  ought  to  have  the  first  place  in  these  classic  studies. 
All  our  Mohammedan  population  with  whom  we  came  in  daily 
contact,  both  in  Sierra  Leone,  in  Yoruba,  and  up  the  Niger, 
have  more  or  less  knowledge  of  the  use  of  Arabic  characters. 
As  our  labours  are  now  extending  among  this  class  of  people, 
it  is  necessary  that  the  ordained  native  missionaries  should 
know  also  the  use  of  these  characters.  It  will  have  fresh  effect 
to  meet  these  Mohammedans  with  their  own  weapons,  not  so 
much  by  argument  and  vexatious  disputations,  but  by  the 
Christian  minister  being  able  simply  to  point  out  from  his 
Arabic  Bible  the  important  truths  of  Christianity.  Though 
they  may  not  believe,  yet  they  will  be  humbled  at  the  superior 
knowledge  of  their  own  book. 

To  the  Rev.  Hy.  Venn. 

Rabba,  8  Feb.,  1859. 

In  spite  of  misrepresentations  from  the  enemies  of  Chris- 
tianity, the  mission  huts  are  frequently  visited  by  very  large 
numbers  of  caravans  from  the  interior.  Abbe j  a  is  very  useful 
here  ;  last  Sunday  there  were  several  groups  of  visitors  around 
him,  with  whom  he  spoke  on  religious  subjects  and  read  to 
them  portions  of  the  Word  of  God  from  the  New  Testament 
in  Hausa. 

I  have  instructed  him  to  tell  the  people  who  Christ  is  and 
what  He  teaches  in  His  Gospel,  and  leave  them  to  judge  for 
themselves,  leaving  Mohammed  and  his  doctrine  alone,  for  we 
have  only  to  deliver  our  message  and  that  from  the  Word  of 


294     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

God.  We  have  always  had  listening  ears,  and  confession  of 
self-condemnation  was  made  by  many  hearers.  If  we  can  do 
nothing  more  for  the  present  at  Rabbah  than  spread  the 
truth  of  the  Gospel  among  the  thousands  of  the  interior  in 
this  way,  ought  we  not  to  be  thankful  ? 

To  the  Rev.  R.  Lang. 

Kipo  Hill  Station,  19  Nov.,  1883. 
There  are  two  Arabic  readers  about  the  village  who  assume 
the  title  of  priests,  also  attendants  of  services  at  Katsa,  who 
listened  attentively  to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  ;  but,  not 
content  with  what  they  heard  only,  are  desirous  of  reading 
the  same  from  the  Arabic  Bible  at  the  station,  and  have  since 
attended  the  Sunday-school  for  this  purpose  to  read  passages 
of  Scripture  ;  though  they  could  not  give  a  correct  transla- 
tion in  the  native  language  of  what  they  read  in  Arabic,  yet 
Mr.  Paul  always  gave  them  a  correct  translation  from  the 
English  Bible  translated  into  the  native  language.  At  Mr. 
Paul's  visit  to  Katsa,  Sunday  the  nth,  a  Mohammedan  hearer 
from  the  interior  was  disposed  to  argue  a  point  against  Chris- 
tianity, but  the  priest  Atiku,  a  Foulah,  one  of  the  Arabic 
Sunday-school  attendants,  immediately  cautioned  the  stranger 
of  his  ignorance,  for  they  knew  nothing  in  comparison  to  what 
the  Anasara  knew  as  regards  their  religions.  This  at  once 
shut  the  stranger  up,  who  remained  during  the  service  to  hear 
what  was  preached. 

On  13  October,  1874,  the  Bishop  addressed  a 
gathering  of  his  clergy  at  Onitsha.  Many  changes 
had  taken  place  during  the  past  five  years.  Death 
had  been  busy  ;  they  were  mourning  the  loss  of  two 
native  pastors,  the  Rev.  F.  Langley  and  Mr.  O.  E. 
Cole,  and  also  of  Mrs.  Johnson,  a  faithful  worker  in 
the  Brass  mission.  The  old  King  of  Onitsha,  who 
had  welcomed  the  mission  so  far  back  as  1857,  had 
died  of  a  good  old  age  ;  his  son,  Idiari,  a  very  promising 
successor,  had  been  carried  off  by  an  epidemic,  and 
now  the  country  was  without  a  ruler,  and  plunged 
in    anarchy.     About    the    same    time    Masaba,    the 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     295 

famous  old  King  of  Nupe,  had  breathed  his  last,  and 
his  nephew,  Umoru  Shiaba,  had  stepped  into  the 
throne,  and  was  doing  well.  Times  of  violent  per- 
secution had  swept  over  the  Christians,  but  God  had 
kept  the  infant  churches  alive,  and  there  was  much 
cause  for  thankfuhiess.  The  Bishop  had  pointed 
out  the  white  fields  of  need,  and  now  exhorts  his 
fellow-labourers  to  brace  themselves  up  for  the  reap- 
ing, and  seeks  to  inspire  their  hearts  with  courage, 
bidding  them  look  up  and  fear  not.  It  is  the  appeal 
of  a  leader  of  brave,  good  men  : 

But  who  is  sufi&cient  for  this  work  ?  We  are  ready  to 
despair  as  the  spies  did  who  viewed  the  land  of  Canaan,  when 
they  returned  and  said  :  "  The  cities  are  walled  up  to  heaven, 
and  the  trenches  are  deep  to  the  bowels  of  the  earth  ;  the 
people  are  tall,  strong,  and  numerous  ;  we  appeared  as  feeble 
kids  before  them  :    we  shall  not  be  able  to  overcome  them." 

The  statement  of  their  great  strength  was  perfectly  correct 
— they  were  emblems  of  the  castles  of  Satan  in  human  hearts 
which  St.  Paul  calls  strongholds.  If  we  confer  with  flesh  and 
blood,  if  our  weapons  are  carnal,  if  we  have  to  use  cunningly 
devised  fables,  seeking  our  own  glory  ;  if  we  make  use  of  the 
name  of  Jesus  to  answer  our  end  and  object  amongst  those 
whom  Satan  has  so  long  strongly  possessed  and  fortified  with 
idolatry,  superstition,  and  darkness  of  ignorance — blindly 
prejudiced  in  favour  of  the  customs  of  their  forefathers — we 
cannot  expect  otherwise  but  a  reaction  upon  ourselves,  the 
like  results  upon  the  seven  sons  of  Sceva,  to  whom  the  evil 
spirit  answered  :  "  Jesus  I  know,  and  Paul  I  know  ;  but  who 
are  you  ?  " — a  disappointment  and  a  total  failure. 

But  when  we  go  out  at  the  command  of  Jesus  to  preach 
the  Gospel  to  the  heathens  as  Christ's  faithful  soldiers  and 
servants,  having  no  other  objects  in  view  but  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  salvation  of  souls,  we  need  not  fear.  Even  the  devils 
will  be  made  subject  unto  us  through  His  name  ;  the  castle 
of  Satan  will  fall  flat  before  us  like  the  walls  of  Jericho  before 
the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  by  the  seven  priests  merely  blowing 
the  seven  trumpets  before  it,  at  the  command  of  the  Lord.    If 


296     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

we  have  faith  even  as  small  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed,  what- 
soever we  ask  in  prayer,  believing,  we  shall  have  from  the 
Captain  of  an  army,  who  is  always  with  us  and  will  be  unto 
the  end  of  the  world. 

But,  thanks  be  to  God,  I  trust  we  can  sincerely  say  we 
are  not  of  them  which  corrupt  the  word  of  God  ;  but  as  we 
are  put  in  trust  of  the  Gospel,  so  we  speak,  not  as  pleasing 
men,  but  God,  who  trieth  the  hearts.  His  sure  precepts  are 
our  encouragement  ;  His  ability  to  accomplish  His  purposes 
of  man's  redemption  is  our  hope  of  success  ;  His  willingness 
to  save  all  who  come  to  Him  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  His 
Son  is  a  stimulus  to  labour,  to  preach  to  and  invite  those  who 
are  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins  to  awake  and  arise  from  the 
dead,  and  Christ  shall  give  them  Ught.  I  believe  that  we  have 
not  been  left  to  ourselves  ;  this  the  review  of  our  five  years' 
service  will  show.  Though  we  have  been  assailed  with  the 
usual  weapons  of  Satan — persecutions,  false  accusations, 
slanders,  hatred — yet  we  have  been  upheld  till  now  ;  though 
sorely  wounded,  yet  not  mortally  ;  though  sorely  tried,  yet 
not  above  what  we  are  able  to  bear  ;  and  by  the  supporting 
grace  of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  we  are  what  we  are — 
still  His  witnesses,  both  to  the  wise  and  unwise,  both  to  bond 
and  free. 

In  touching  upon  the  state  of  the  various  stations 
of  the  mission  the  Bishop  displays  his  characteristic 
frankness.  As  an  instance  of  this,  as  regards  Bonny, 
he  reminds  his  hearers  that  for  buildings,  school- 
chapels,  boarding-house,  and  dwelling-houses,  with 
galvanized  roofs,  this  place  has  had  the  reputation 
of  being  the  first  and  most  successful. 

"  But  this  is  an  empty  show,  the  shell  without 
kernel,  the  leafy  fig  tree  without  fruit.  It  verifies 
the  truth,  '  Every  kingdom  divided  against  itself 
is  brought  to  desolation,  and  every  city  or  house 
divided  against  itself  shall  not  stand.'  "  He  speaks 
of  the  internal  condition  of  the  country,  the  hostility 
of  the  ruling  chiefs,  once  so  favourable,  and  how  the 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     297 

division  of  the  population  consequent  on  the  civil 
war  has  half  emptied  the  church,  and  brought  Bonny 
as  a  mission  station  very  low  indeed.  Christian  slaves 
had  refused  to  paddle  the  canoes  on  Sundays,  and 
from  a  spirit  of  spite  their  masters  were  secretly  and 
severely  punishing  them  for  not  joining  in  idolatrous 
worship.  The  Bishop  had  intervened  and  used  his 
own  judgment  in  putting  things  right. 

At  Brass,  too,  they  had  suffered  much  persecution. 
A  secret  plot  to  ensnare  the  Christian  chiefs  and  set 
their  town  and  mission  premises  at  Tuwon  in  flames  at 
midnight  was  providentially  discovered  in  time.  The 
matter  was  referred  to  the  King,  who  was  a  traitor 
in  disguise,  and  while  the  agents  of  the  mission  were 
promised  safety,  the  native  converts  were  fined  heavily. 

In  face  of  these  chequered  experiences  the  good 
Bishop  gives  them  some  final  counsels,  as  to  the  value 
of  example,  of  study,  and  of  a  faithful  heart.  His 
fatherly  words  were  listened  to  in  breathless  silence, 
and  many  hearts  were  deeply  stirred : 

My  dear  brethren,  we  ourselves  must  be  equipped  for  the 
fight ;  we  must  therefore  put  on  the  whole  armour  of  God 
that  we  may  be  able  to  stand  against  the  wiles  of  the  devil. 
First,  unblemished  character.  "  In  all  things  showing  thyself 
a  pattern  of  good  works  :  in  doctrine  showing  uncorrupted- 
ness,  gravity,  sincerity,  sound  speech,  that  cannot  be  con- 
demned ;  that  he  that  is  of  the  contrary  part  may  be  ashamed, 
having  no  evil  thing  to  say  of  you."  This  emboldens  Christian 
teachers  to  face  the  enemy. 

Secondly,  in  order  to  our  attainment  of  uncorrupt  doctrine, 
we  must  implore  the  teaching  of  God's  Holy  Spirit,  for  He 
was  particularly  promised  to  the  disciples  to  this  end.  "  But 
the  Comforter,  which  is  the  Holy  Ghost,  whom  the  Father 
will  send  in  My  name.  He  shall  teach  you  all  things,  and  bring 


298     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

all  things  to  your  remembrance,  whatsoever  I  have  said  unto 
you."  Yet  this  promise  does  not  preclude  personal  applica- 
tion in  habit  of  reading  and  studying.  In  regard  to  this  we 
have  the  injunction  of  St.  Paul  to  Timothy  :  "  Till  I  come 
give  attendance  to  reading,  to  exhortation,  and  to  doctrine." 
Neither  did  the  apostle  himself,  with  all  his  miraculous  gifts 
and  abundant  revelations,  slight  the  privilege  of  book  reading. 
In  his  imprisonment  he  felt  the  want  of  such  ordinary  source 
of  information,  as  well  as  the  use  of  his  cloak  to  shelter  him 
from  the  cold.  "  The  cloak  that  I  left  at  Troas  with  Carpus, 
when  thou  comest,  bring  with  thee,  and  the  books,  but  espe- 
cially the  parchments." 

Although  some  of  you  have  had  a  few  years'  advantage  of 
college  education  at  Sierra  Leone,  to  discipline  your  minds 
and  prepare  you  for  a  future  usefulness,  yet  you  must  not 
consider  these  advantages  as  the  foundation  on  which  you 
have  to  build  your  knowledge  of  missionary  life  and  labour  ; 
you  must  have  some  one  still  to  guide  you  to  attain  right 
doctrine,  you  must  still  sit  at  the  feet  of  a  Gamaliel  in  the 
capacity  of  some  standing  books,  written  by  the  fathers  of 
the  Protestant  faith  of  riper  years  and  mature  extensive  ex- 
perience and  of  deep  research  into  divine  things.  The  Homilies 
of  the  United  Church  of  England  and  Ireland  well  read,  and 
their  Divine  Spirit  and  sound  principles  imbibed,  cannot  fail 
to  enlarge  your  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  settle 
your  faith  in  the  sound  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion 
The  same  is  applicable  to  the  standard  works  of  other  evan- 
gelical fathers  of  the  Protestant  faith,  who  had  devoted  the 
best  part  of  their  lives  in  digging  deep  into  the  unfathomable 
mines  of  God's  revelation  as  far  as  they  could  go,  and  com- 
mitted the  results  of  as  much  of  their  deep  research  and 
discovery  into  writing  for  the  help  and  information  of  succeed- 
ing generations,  of  the  hidden  treasures,  of  the  mysteries  of 
God's  plan  for  the  salvation  of  men. 

These  are  left  on  record,  which  will  ever  be  invaluable 
helps  to  young  students  in  diversity  who  are  willing  to  be  led 
by  them  till  their  own  thoughts  are  formed,  and,  being  guided 
by  the  unerring  spirit  of  truth,  they  may  be  able  to  descend 
deeper  into  the  mines  of  those  deep  mysteries  without  making 
use  of  the  ladders  of  others,  to  search  for  themselves  the 
impenetrable  purposes  of  God  for  the  salvation  of  mankind. 
We  are  but  a  Church  in  embryo  ;  we  must  derive  nourish- 
ment from  the  mother.    If  we  thus  build  upon  the  foundation 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     299 

of  the  apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  Himself  being  the 
chief  corner-stone,  we  need  not  fear  any  test  when  trial  of  our 
work  is  come  to  be  made.  Let  us  bear  this  important  truth 
in  mind,  and  more  so  as  we  are  not  introducing  Christianity 
among  the  superstitious  heathen  only,  but  are  gradually 
advancing  among  bigoted  Mohammedans  also,  some  of  whom 
are  inquiring  of  the  reason  of  the  hope  which  is  in  us  in  Christ 
Jesus,  that  we  may  be  able  to  give  it  with  meekness  and 
reverence. 

At  first  sight  it  would  seem  quite  superfluous  for 

the  Bishop  to  warn  his  clergy  against  losing  sight  of 

their  nationality,   and  not  taking  sufficient  heed  of 

the  native  customs  and  ideas  which  they  met  round 

about  them.     But  he  knew  his  people  well.     These 

native  pastors  would  be  specially  liable  to  the  adoption 

of    European    ideas    without    stint ;     their    outward 

dress  and  their  inward  thought  would  be  quite  soon 

enough  and  sufficiently  after  the  pattern  of  the  white 

man.     He  warned  them  against  expecting  too  much 

from  their  converts,  and  not  to  force  them  to  abandon 

what  is  perfectly  natural  and  becoming  in  their  life 

for  a  merely  artificial  imitation  of  the  English. 

Christianity  has  come  into  the  world  (he  says)  to  abolish 
and  supersede  all  false  religions,  to  direct  mankind  to  the  only 
way  of  obtaining  peace  and  reconciliation  with  their  offended 
God.  It  condemns  all  vices,  reforms  the  morals,  and  recom- 
mends virtues  as  laid  down  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  the  great 
Law-giver  of  the  New  Covenant.  These  we  must  impress 
upon  the  minds  of  our  converts  from  heathenism,  and  point 
out  to  them  from  the  Word  of  God.  But  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  Christianity  does  not  undertake  to  destroy 
national  assimilation  ;  where  there  are  any  degrading  super- 
stitious defects,  it  corrects  them  ;  where  they  are  connected 
with  politics,  such  connections  should  be  introduced  with  due 
caution  and  with  all  meekness  of  wisdom,  that  there  may  be 
good  and  perfecting  imderstanding  between  us  and  the  powers 
that  be  ;    that,  while  we  render  to  all  their  dues,  we  may 


300     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

regard  it  as  our  bounden  duty  to  stand  firm  in  rendering  to 
God  the  things  that  are  God's. 

Their  native  mutual  aid  clubs  should  not  be  despised,  but 
where  there  is  any  connection  with  superstitions  they  should 
be  corrected  and  improved  after  a  Christian  model.  Amuse- 
ments are  acknowledged  on  all  hands  to  relieve  the  mind  and 
sharpen  the  intellect.  If  any  such  is  not  immoral  or  indecent, 
tending  to  corrupt  the  mind,  but  merely  an  innocent  play  for 
amusement,  it  should  not  be  checked  because  of  its  being 
native  and  of  a  heathen  origin.  Of  this  kind  of  amusements 
are  fables,  story  telling,  proverbs,  and  songs,  which  may  be 
regarded  as  stores  of  their  national  education,  in  which  the 
heathen  exercise  their  power  of  thinking  ;  such  will  be  im- 
proved upon  and  enriched  from  foreign  stocks  as  civilization 
advances.  Their  religious  terms  and  ceremonies  should  be 
carefully  noticed  ;  a  wrong  use  made  of  such  terms  does  not 
depreciate  their  real  value,  but  renders  them  more  valuable 
when  we  adopt  them  in  expressing  scriptural  terms  in  their 
right  senses  and  places,  though  they  have  been  misapplied  for 
want  of  better  knowledge. 

I  hope  these  few  hints  will  guard  you  against  the  common 
prejudices  which  are  apt  to  prevail  in  your  minds  against 
native  usages  in  general  because  they  have  their  origin  from 
a  heathen  state.  If  judicious  use  be  made  of  native  ideas,  the 
minds  of  the  heathen  will  be  better  reached  than  by  attempt- 
ing to  introduce  new  ones  quite  foreign  to  their  way  of  thinking. 
Improved  habits  will  keep  pace  with  the  Christian  civilization 
of  the  rising  generation,  whose  education  should  be  properly 
attended  to  as  early  as  children  can  possibly  be  collected. 
Many  awkward  native  habits  may  gradually  be  dropped  and 
other  more  comfortable  ones  be  introduced  in  their  stead  as 
matters  of  conscience  ;  and  thus  the  state  of  Society  will  be 
imperceptibly  improved  without  forcing  it.  When  once 
Christianity  has  taken  a  firm  hold  among  the  people  then  will 
follow  in  its  train  many  attendant  blessings. 

The  presence  of  the  Bishop  on  a  public  platform 
was  always  an  interesting  feature,  and  especially 
when  his  theme  was  some  phase  of  missionary  work 
in  his  own  country.  At  a  great  missionary  gathering 
in    London,    in    bidding    some    workers    farewell    on 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     301 

going  to  their  post  of  duty  in  the  field,  he  drew  at- 
tention to  the  special  difficulties  which  they  would 
have  to  face ;  when  leaving  the  sphere  of  British 
influence  and  protection,  they  would  find  themselves 
where  heathenism  was  in  unrestrained  activity. 
These  new  surroundings  made  it  necessary  to  walk 
carefully,  lest  by  an  act  of  indiscretion  they  might 
prejudice  the  future  freedom  and  success  of  the  mission. 
He  stood  there  also  to  vindicate  the  courage  and 
faith  of  the  converts,  and  show  his  hearers  that 
whatever  persecution  might  essay,  it  could  not  ex- 
tinguish that  Divine  lamp  of  truth  which  God  had 
lit  in  dark  Africa.  And  before  sitting  down  he  en- 
forced the  value  of  simple  and  scriptural  teaching 
among  the  heathen  : 

In  such  places  we  are  in  the  hands  and  under  the  control 
of  a  heathen  Government.  And  how  do  we  proceed  ?  We 
do  not  carry  with  us  any  inducement  to  the  chiefs  to  allow 
us  to  remain  in  their  country  or  to  introduce  our  religion  ;  we 
go  with  nothing  but  the  Bible  in  our  hands,  and  we  simply 
declare  that  we  are  messengers  sent  to  proclaim  a  doctrine 
from  heaven  for  the  salvation  of  mankind.  At  first  the  people 
do  not  know  what  this  doctrine  can  be.  Many  of  them  seem 
to  suppose  that  it  is  some  new  religion  which  may  be  added 
to  their  own,  for  there  is  a  great  multiplicity  of  gods  in  heathen 
countries.  The  people  are  always  ready  to  adopt  the  gods  of 
other  nations.  When  they  hear  of  a  god  who  is  very  powerful, 
whether  for  affording  protection  or  for  granting  wealth,  or  for 
giving  some  other  advantage  to  his  worshippers,  they  are 
ready  to  add  this  new  false  god  to  their  own  gods.  Well,  in 
like  manner  when  these  Africans  in  the  interior  heard  of  the 
God  of  the  white  man  they  thought  at  first  that  He  would 
probably  bring  them  some  great  worldly  advantage  ;  but 
when  we  preached  to  them  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian 
religion,  when  we  repeated  to  them  the  commandment,  "  Thou 
shalt  have   none   other   gods   but   Me,"   or   the   declaration, 


302     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

"  There  is  no  other  name  given  under  heaven  whereby  men 
must  be  saved  except  Jesus  Christ  and  Him  crucified,"  they 
began  to  look  up  and  say,  "  This  is  a  very  strange  religion." 
When  we  preached  in  their  streets  children  came,  and  at  first 
listened  suspiciously  ;  but  the  result  was  that  some  of  the 
listeners  refused  to  bow  down  to  the  false  gods  of  their  fathers 
and  mothers,  and  then  a  spirit  of  opposition  was  excited.  It 
was  gradually  perceived  by  persons  of  influence  that  the 
missionaries  are  inducing  numbers  of  the  natives  to  forsake 
idol  worship  ;  and  when  the  priests  and  priestesses  began  to 
complain  to  the  native  authorities,  they  saw  that  their  religion 
was  in  danger,  and  hence  arose  persecution.  There  was  no 
Government  interference  to  suppress  that  persecution.  Those 
who  had  for  some  time  been  watching  for  an  opportunity  of 
attack  were  glad  when  it  arrived,  and  the  result  was  that  a 
persecution  arose  against  the  missionaries,  and  the  Christians 
were  all  driven  out  of  the  country. 

But  do  you  call  that  a  failure  ?  In  travelling  along  the 
road  I  have  been  asked  :  "  What  about  the  Abeokuta  Chris- 
tians?" "  What  about  the  Abeokuta  missions  ?  "  "Well," 
I  have  replied,  "  they  are  all  scattered  ;  but  though  it  is 
night  with  us  now  daylight  shall  come."  I  have  told  those 
who  questioned  me  that  we  were  bound  to  be  prepared  for 
such  events  from  the  very  fact  that  we  were  the  aggressors 
and  not  the  natives.  It  was  me,  and  not  they,  who  demanded 
that  the  gods  of  their  fathers  should  be  set  aside.  We  de- 
manded in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  that  they  should  cast 
their  idols  to  the  moles  and  to  the  bats  ;  in  the  name  of  our 
Master  we  preached  to  them  repentance  towards  God  and 
faith  towards  Jesus  Christ,  and  called  upon  them  to  forsake 
their  sins  and  lead,  by  the  help  of  God's  grace,  a  life  of  holi- 
ness. It  was  we  who  were  the  aggressors,  and  it  was  not 
natural  that  Satan,  whose  kingdom  we  attacked,  should  sit 
still  and  make  no  struggle  to  regain  what  he  had  lost.  I  told 
those  to  whom  I  have  alluded  that  although  we  were  "  perse- 
cuted," yet  we  were  not  "  cast  down."  In  connection  with  the 
persecution  of  Abeokuta  I  must  take  this  opportunity  of  vindi- 
cating the  Christian  character,  the  zeal,  the  energy,  and  the 
courage  of  the  missionaries  who  were  then  labouring  in  the  town. 

Almost  at  the  very  time  when  the  attack  was  made  at 
Abeokuta,  and  the  people  seemed  determined,  as  it  were,  to 
pull  down  Christianity,  an  attack  was  made  upon  myself  on 
the  banks  of  the  Niger,  as  if  the  two  nations  were  in  corre- 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     303 

spondence  with  each  other  as  regards  the  time  of  attack, 
though  I  think  they  had  hardly  ever  heard  of  each  other. 

As  regards  our  mission  work  at  Abeokuta,  what  has  been 
done  resembles  what  occurred  when  St.  Paul  was  at  Ephesus. 
and  when  Demetrius  called  a  meeting  of  men  of  like  occupa- 
tion with  himself  and  represented  to  them  that  their  craft 
was  in  danger.  When  Paul  was  persuading  the  people  every- 
where that  they  be  no  gods  which  are  made  with  hands, 
Demetrius  and  his  friends  cried  out  publicly,  not  in  the  name 
of  their  craft  or  their  wealth — that  motive  had  been  carefully 
concealed — but  they  cried  out  in  the  name  of  religion,  and  for 
two  hours  there  was  heard  the  cry  :  "  Great  is  Diana  of  the 
Ephesians  !  "  It  was  in  that  way  that  a  mob  was  created.  A 
dozen  people  may  by  that  means  get  two  thousand  people  to 
join  them.  Something  like  the  scene  of  Ephesus  occurred  at 
Abeokuta  ;  the  cry  then  resembled  that  of  Ephesus  :  "  Great 
is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians  !  "  and  the  result  was  that  the 
mission  houses  were  attacked,  the  mission  property  was 
plundered,  and  the  mission  churches  were  spoiled.  On  a 
Sunday  morning,  when  the  native  converts  were  ready  to  go 
to  church  and  their  children  to  attend  the  Sunday-schools, 
they  were  attacked  without  any  notice,  and  before  the  after- 
noon they  were  all  stripped,  even  to  the  caps  on  their  heads  and 
almost  the  shirts  on  their  backs,  and  there  they  were  left 
friendless,  houseless,  and  penniless. 

Happily  they  met  with  the  protection  of  a  certain  chief. 
This  man  had  been  urged  to  join  in  the  persecution,  but  in 
God's  providence  he  refused  to  do  so.  The  man  who  thus 
refused  to  become  a  persecutor  was  one  of  the  most  wicked 
men  in  Abeokuta,  and  it  seems  astonishing  that  such  men 
should  be  raised  up  by  God  to  protect  His  people  and  His 
cause.  This  man,  I  say,  refused  to  join  in  the  persecution, 
and  it  was  owing  to  that  cause  alone  that  the  missionaries' 
lives  were  preserved. 

Before  sitting  down  I  wish  to  allude  to  Onitsha,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Niger.  There  were  on  one  occasion  nine  European 
persons  assembled  there  from  Her  Majesty's  ships  and  mer- 
chant vessels,  paying  a  visit  to  the  sovereign,  when  some  chiefs 
took  an  occasion  to  make  an  attack  upon  Christianity,  no 
doubt  wanting  to  feel  their  way  and  see  what  materials  we 
were  made  of.  When  these  gentlemen  had  talked  about  the 
object  of  their  visit,  the  King  of  the  place  said  :  "  Yes,  we 
heard  what  you  say,  but  we  wish  to  know  what  presents  the 


304     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

missionaries  have  to  give."  Our  reply  was  that  we  had  no 
presents  to  give.  What  was  especially  desired  in  this  case  was 
that  I,  as  the  headman,  to  use  their  expression,  over  the 
native  Christians  in  that  neighbourhood,  should  make  a  law 
that  all  the  converts  should  return  to  heathenism.  The  chiefs 
wanted  me  to  give  a  law  to  the  Christians  of  Onitsha  that  they 
should  join  their  fathers  and  mothers  in  offering  sacrifices, 
and  also  wanted  me  to  prohibit  the  Christians  from  eating 
certain  fish  in  the  river  which  they  deemed  sacred,  and  to  do 
various  other  things  of  the  same  kind.  I  called  to  one  of  my 
catechists  to  give  me  my  Bible,  and  holding  it  in  my  hand  I 
said  :  "  This  is  the  message  I  have  to  deliver  :  to  command 
these  converts  to  return  to  idolatry  is  out  of  my  power.  I 
cannot  do  it,  and  I  dare  not  do  it.  If  I  had  power  to  prevent 
the  soul  of  any  of  those  converts  from  leaving  the  body  I  might 
have  power  to  give  them  permission  to  return  to  idolatry  ; 
but  they  will  not  and  should  not  return  to  it  !  "  One  of  the 
converts  then  came  forward  and  said  :  "  Do  you  know  me  ?  " 
He  belonged  to  a  good  family,  and  at  once  arrested  the  atten- 
tion of  the  King.  "  I  was  a  wicked  one,"  he  went  on  to  say, 
"  a  notorious  character,  a  great  troubler  of  the  town  before 
Christianity  came  to  this  country,  but  since  it  came  it  has 
made  the  country  what  it  is,  and  particularly  it  has  made  me 
what  I  am.  What  can  have  made  me  so  different  from  what 
I  was  ?  It  is  the  Christian  religion,  and  that  religion  I  will 
never  give  up  ;  you  shall  rather  take  my  life  than  make  me  give 
up  that  religion,  which  is  the  power  of  God  to  my  salvation." 

The  Bishop  never  addressed  his  fellow-workers 
in  these  charges  without  taking  the  opportunity 
of  discussing  every  phase  of  the  subject  of  a  native 
ministry,  which  at  the  time  was  uppermost  in 
their  thoughts.  Just  at  this  stage  of  the  work  many 
educated  Africans  were  discussing,  not  only  the 
advantage  of  native  agency  in  missionary  labour 
in  their  country,  but  whether  Africans  could  re- 
generate their  own  people  without  outside  aid.  The 
remark  had  been  made,  "  Africa  for  the  Africans, 
the  rest  of  the  world  for  the  rest  of  mankind." 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     305 

The  Bishop  was  tlierefore  quite  ready  to  discuss 
this  patriotic  standpoint  of  view  : 

I  myself,  being  an  African  and  a  missionary,  must  be 
allowed  to  be  somewhat  qualified  to  answer  the  question  from 
personal  experience.  The  author  of  the  remark  about  "Africa 
for  the  Africans  "  no  doubt  had  his  own  views  on  the  subject, 
and  may  have  used  the  phrase  either  in  a  political,  commercial, 
or  evangelical  sense.  It  will  be  quite  foreign  to  my  purpose 
to  meddle  with  either  of  the  first  two  senses,  if  they  were 
meant  ;  but  inasmuch  as  the  latter — the  evangelization  of 
Africa — may  be  implied  in  the  idea,  I  may  say  a  few  words 
on  that  head.  The  question  which  we  have  to  ask  is  :  Are  the 
Africans  yet  able  to  regenerate  Africa  without  foreign  aid  ? 

The  Bishop  proceeded  to  give  two  reasons  why 
this  was  not  possible  ;  viz.  the  absolute  necessity 
of  men  and  money.  While  speaking  in  words  of 
warm  appreciation  of  the  work  done  at  the  training 
centres,  the  Fourah  Bay  College  and  the  Freetown 
Grammar  School,  in  providing  such  well-equipped 
and  efficient  men,  not  only  for  the  mission  work,  but 
for  the  departments  of  the  civil  service,  he  pointed 
out  how  unequal  the  supply  of  men  was  to  the  demand  : 

We  must  remember  that  those  already  mentioned  are 
employed  and  at  work  at  their  posts  ;  we  must  not  forget 
that  the  ranks  of  the  soldiers  must  be  thinned  by  death  ;  and 
if  advanced  posts  are  to  be  taken  and  occupied,  we  must  have 
men  in  reserve  to  fill  up  vacancies  as  well  as  to  occupy  ad- 
vanced posts.  They  must  be  qualified  men,  well  versed  in 
scriptural  knowledge,  and,  above  all,  sound  in  Christian 
character  ;  they  must  "  have  a  good  report  of  them  that  are 
without,"  "  full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  self-denying 
in  the  service  of  their  divine  Master. 

Deahng  with  the  necessity  of  accepting  the  generous 
gifts  of  friends  in  England,  the  Bishop  said  that  it 
would  be  impossible  for  the  infant  Church  in  West 


3o6     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

Africa  to  keep  its  feet  or  enlarge  its  borders.  He 
spoke  of  the  willingness  of  the  native  Christians  to 
do  all  in  their  power  for  the  support  of  Christianity, 
and  how  much  the  Mother  Church  appreciated  this 
evidence  of  their  zeal  and  practical  interest  in  the 
work  of  the  Gospel.  But  they  are  still  too  young  and 
feeble  to  bear  responsibility  without  outside  assistance. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  the  Bishop  is  speaking 
these  words  in  the  year  1869,  when  the  idea  of  a 
purely  native  Church  on  the  Niger  was  as  yet  on  the 
dim  horizon  of  the  future.  With  rare  prescience 
he  foresaw  the  possibility  of  such  a  development, 
and  while  carefully  guarding  against  any  wild  or 
imprudent  ambitions  in  that  direction,  which  would 
forestall  and  perhaps  injure  the  prospects  of  the  native 
Church  of  years  to  come,  he  has  in  this  charge  given 
a  clear  note  of  hope  which  is  significant  and  worthy 
of  record.  It  is  evident  that  the  cry  "  Africa  for 
the  Africans "  had  been  foolishly  used  as  regards 
the  evangelization  of  the  whole  continent  : 

If  it  were  possible  (says  the  Bishop)  to  go  out  now  in  the 
simple  character  and  spirit  of  the  primitive  missionaries  and 
preach  the  Gospel,  "  providing  neither  gold,  nor  silver,  or 
brass  in  our  purses,"  etc.,  on  the  principle  of  faith  that  God 
will  provide  our  daily  food,  shall  we  find  the  men  among  our- 
selves ready  to  go  out  in  the  name  of  Christ  and  do  so  ?  .  .  . 
No  one  can  desire  our  self-support  and  independent  action 
more  than  the  Mother  Church,  whose  offspring  we  are.  The 
timid  and  anxious  trial  she  is  now  and  then  making  by  a 
gradual  withdrawal  of  foreign  influence,  by  leaving  the 
superintendence  of  entire  parishes  and  training  schools  to  the 
native  agents  which  now  constitute  the  native  pastorate,  is  a 
clear  evidence  that  no  one  would  rejoice  more  than  she  to  see 
the  largest  portion  of  West  Africa  entirely  worked  by  African 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     307 

pastors  and  missionaries  on  a  self-supporting  system  if  they 
are  so  circumstanced  as  to  be  able  to  do  so.  .  .  .  The  small 
spots  occupied  as  mission  stations  on  the  line  of  coast,  at  great 
distances  of  some  hundreds  of  miles  apart,  which  are  touched 
at  by  Royal  Mail  steamers,  do  not  constitute  the  whole 
continent  of  Africa  to  be  evangelized.  These  places  are  mere 
ports,  occupied  only  as  starting  points  to  work  the  main  con- 
tinent teeming  with  population,  of  the  immense  number  of 
which  we  have  no  correct  idea  until  we  actually  enter  among 
them. 

What  has  been  done  to  evangelize  the  one  hundred  tribes 
represented  by  the  liberated  Africans  in  the  colony  of  Sierra 
Leone,  such  as  the  kingdoms  of  Ashantee,  Dahomey,  Yoruba, 
Benin,  Nupe,  Hausa,  Bornu,  and  Ibo  on  this  part  of  the 
continent  ?  By  the  side  of  one  of  these  kingdoms  all  the  spots 
occupied  on  the  line  of  coast  put  together  will  appear  as  a 
very  little  speck,  without  saying  a  word  of  those  on  the  north, 
south,  and  east  of  the  continent.  "  Africa  for  the  Africans," 
the  rest  of  the  world  for  the  rest  of  mankind  !  Can  the  idea 
thus  expressed  and  widely  circulated  be  applied  to  the  evan- 
gelization of  Africa  ?  If  so,  and  it  be  adopted  as  a  watch- 
word, let  us  rise  up  and  be  doing.  The  land  is  before  us  ;  let 
us  enter  the  length  and  the  breadth  of  it  and  bring  the  nations 
to  Christ.  "  Now  is  the  accepted  time,  now  is  the  day  of 
salvation."  If  we  delay,  thousands  on  thousands  will  con- 
tinue to  pass  away  into  eternity  without  the  knowledge  of 
Christ,  without  hope,  and  without  God  in  the  world.  Woe  be 
unto  us  if  we  preach  not  unto  them  the  Gospel  of  salvation  in 
due  time  !  .  .  . 

When  we  think  of  the  wealth  and  the  advanced  civilization 
and  enlightenment  of  Europe,  Asia,  and  America — three  great 
quarters  of  the  globe — when  we  reflect  that,  notwithstanding 
their  great  advancement,  yet  Christians  from  one  quarter  go 
into  the  others  to  evangelize  the  heathen  portions  of  these 
quarters,  when  we  consider  the  vast  population  of  China  and 
India — both  wealthy  and  skilful  in  arts  and  sciences,  and  yet 
into  these  countries  Christian  missionaries  are  sent  by  scores 
from  other  nations  to  evangelize  the  heathen,  and  their  help 
is  hailed  with  inexpressible  joy  by  the  sons  of  the  soil — is  it 
not  an  act  of  great  ignorance,  not  to  say  unpardonable  selfish- 
ness, on  the  part  of  any  man  to  claim  "  Africa  for  the  Africans 
alone,"  when  she  is  neither  wealthy,  skilful,  nor  enlightened, 
to  the  exclusion  of  others  from  other  quarters  of  the  globe  ? 


308     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

Africa  has  neither  knowledge  nor  skill  to  devise  plans  to 
bring  out  her  vast  resources  for  her  own  improvement,  and, 
from  want  of  Christian  enlightenment,  cruelty  and  barbarity 
overspread  the  land  to  an  incredible  degree.  Therefore  to 
claim  "  Africa  for  the  Africans  alone  "  is  to  claim  for  her  the 
right  of  continued  ignorance  to  practise  cruelty  and  acts  of 
barbarity  as  her  perpetual  inheritance.  For  it  is  certain, 
unless  help  came  from  without,  a  nation  can  never  rise  much 
above  its  present  state.  "  Hath  a  nation  changed  their  gods 
which  are  yet  no  gods  ?  "  No,  "  for  all  people  will  walk  every 
one  in  the  name  of  his  God." 

But  we  must  pass  on  to  quote  from  a  few  of  his 
letters,  gleaned  selections  from  hundreds  which  are 
happily  carefully  preserved.  In  nothing,  perhaps, 
so  much  as  his  correspondence  does  the  Bishop  show 
his  clear,  exact,  and  methodical  style.  He  did  naught 
in  a  flurry.  It  was  his  habit  to  write  a  careful  draft 
of  every  letter  from  his  pen,  and  these  he  preserved, 
as  well  as  copies  of  all  he  received,  generally  also  in 
his  own  handwriting.  Up  to  the  last  few  months  of 
his  life  his  script  was  neat,  and  deserving  of  the  en- 
comium of  copperplate,  a  treat  to  read. 

As  to  a  missionary  soiling  his  hands  by  merely 
secular  work  the  Bishop  gives  his  views  in  a  letter 
written  from  Lagos  on  12  January,  1875  : 

But  some  may  question  the  propriety  of  missionaries  em- 
ploying a  portion  of  their  time  to  such  secular  occupation 
whilst  they  are  exclusively  employed  to  preach  the  Gospel. 
True,  they  are  sent  to  preach  the  Gospel  as  their  chief  work 
among  the  heathens — it  may  be  in  the  market  places,  under 
shady  trees,  or  in  a  compound — and  return  home  satisfied  that 
their  work  is  done.  But  is  that  all  among  uncultivated  savage 
heathen  ? 

This  is^applicable  to  countries  where  Christianity  has  been 
previously  established  and  people  somewhat  civilized,  where 
the  time  of  preliminary  work  is  past ;   in  that  case  other  men 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     309 

laboured,  and  their  successors  have  entered  into  their  labours 
solely  to  preach  the  Gospel.  A  real  missionary  life  among  the 
heathen  is  widely  different  from  this.  A  man  of  true  mission 
ary  experience  sees  difficulty  from  this,  as  he  has,  like  St.  Paul, 
often  to  labour  with  his  own  hands  when  it  comes  to  the  push, 
for  his  own  support  and  those  who  might  be  with  him  ;  he  will 
become  an  example  in  all  things  to  all  men  that  he  might  gain 
them  for  Christ ;  he  has  to  labour  to  construct  his  own  abode, 
and  erect  preaching  places  in  an  improved  state,  different 
from  native  idea  of  building,  although  he  is  not  a  common 
labourer  ;  he  must  attend  the  sick  and  wounded,  although  he 
is  not  a  physician  ;  when  at  the  same  time  he  will  not  neglect 
his  proper  work  to  attend  to  reading  and  preaching  of  the 
Word.  A  missionary  must  be  a  living  example,  known  and 
to  be  imitated  by  all  men,  especially  in  Africa,  where  all  hard 
labours  are  entailed  on  the  females,  and  the  males  pass  their 
time  in  idleness  and  selfishness.  We  have  not  far  to  go  to 
prove  this. 

One  of  his  dearest  friends  was  the  Rev.  Henry 
Venn,  the  secretary  of  his  earher  days,  so  deeply  in- 
terested in  the  ideal  of  a  West  African  native  Church, 
and  always  an  inspiration  to  Crowther.  Here  is  an 
extract  from  a  letter  written  from  Lagos  on  8  February, 
i860,  to  acknowledge  some  expressions  of  sympathy 
recently  sent  from  SaHsbury  Square  : 

To  H.  Venn. 

Lagos,  8  February,   i860. 

Your  kind  letter  of  December  last  was  really  as  a  soothing 
cordial  to  my  heart  ;  there  is  nothing  that  ministers  so  much 
comfort  to  the  drooping  heart  and  desponding  spirits  like 
sympathy  which  springs  from  a  truly  experienced  Christian 
heart ;  the  very  fact  that  others  share  with  us  in  all  our 
trouble,  and  bear  a  part  with  us  in  the  slanders  and  aspersions 
which  unprincipled  people  are  ready  to  cast  upon  us,  is  suffi- 
cient to  make  one  forget  and  pass  them  over  little  noticed, 
and  to  pity  those  who  try  to  do  us  evil  instead  of  seeking  to 
resent.  I  have  since  the  last  few  years  been  taught  to  know 
that  one  of  the  most  difficult  things  to  learn  to  know  in  the 


310     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

world  is  man.  I  have  not  known  before  that  man,  who  at 
one  time  is  confided  in  as  the  best  of  friends,  and  to  whom 
one  can  open  his  heart  and  mind  without  reserve,  can  upon 
a  different  circumstance  prove  Uke  a  broken  reed,  which  not 
only  gives  way,  but  wounds  and  pierces.  This  is  a  painful 
fact.  Many  years  ago  I  would  not  have  believed  it  could  be 
acted  concerning  myself,  but  I  have  experienced  it,  and  but 
through  God's  protection  I  should  have  severely  suffered  from 
it.    But  the  Lord  reigneth. 

It  is  not  often  that  a  Bishop  is  credited  with  a 
business  faculty,  because  few  realize  how  much  of 
this  department  engrosses  their  time  and  energies, 
but  Crowther  was  always  keenly  alive  to  the  material 
well-being  of  his  country.  He  kept  his  accounts  with 
scrupulous  care  and  method,  and  as  regards  the  com- 
mercial development  of  the  Niger,  the  following  letter 
shows  that  at  the  earliest  stage  of  cotton  export  he 
took  the  initiative.  He  is  writing  from  Lagos  in 
March,  i860  : 

To  H.  Venn. 

Lagos,  7  March,   i860. 

It  will  be  a  new  piece  of  information  to  you  to  know  that 
I  commenced  it  at  my  station  at  Igbein  with  a  deaf  and  dumb 
boy  whose  name  is  Thomas  Craig,  who  seemed  to  be  delighted 
in  the  working  of  the  saw  gin,  when  every  one  ran  away  from 
it  as  being  too  laborious  to  turn  all  day,  and,  being  a  strong 
lad,  it  was  he  who  chiefly  worked  the  500  lb.  of  clean  cotton 
which  was  first  produced  from  Abeokuta  in  185 1.  This  same 
lad,  now  a  young  man,  continues  to  work  in  connection  with 
the  Industrial  Institution  to  the  present  time.  From  this 
small  beginning,  with  a  deaf  and  dumb  boy,  the  work  has 
gained  the  interest  of  the  chiefs  and  people  of  Abeokuta.  .  .  . 
They  are  consigning  their  cotton  to  merchants  in  England  of 
their  own  choice,  being  taught  by  the  Industrial  Institution 
to  develop  the  resources  of  their  own  country,  for  which  a 
market  was  shown  them.  Thus  I  consider  the  first  object  of 
the  Society  has  been  fully  answered. 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     311 

The    following    extract    from    a    letter    written    on 

3  February,  1868,  will  give  an  idea  of  the  Bishop's 

difficulties  in  travelling  on  the  Niger  before  the  Henry 

Venn  was  sent  out  : 

To  H.  Venn. 

Lagos,   3  February,   1868. 

As  long  as  I  shall  have  to  depend  upon  an  annual  trip  of 
a  trading  ship  or  of  a  gunboat  to  visit  the  stations,  so  that 
when  either  one  or  the  other  of  the  ships  appear  I  am  seen  in 
her  as  hitherto,  it  will  take  a  very  long  time  to  dissuade  the 
natives  from  the  old  belief  that  I  am  interested  in  those  ships. 
To  avoid  this  I  tried  to  sever  myself  from  trading  ships  as 
much  as  possible,  so  as  to  be  independent,  quietly  moving  to 
and  fro,  revisiting  the  stations  in  my  own  boat  ;  then  I  was 
exposed  to  an  outrageous  attack  from  a  covetous  chief.  Of 
two  evils  I  must  choose  the  least  for  safety's  sake,  and  must 
either  move  in  a  trading  steamer  or  in  a  gunboat  whenever 
an  opportunity  presents  itself,  whether  I  be  called  the  pro- 
prietor— though  I  do  not  own  a  pennyworth  of  her — or  be 
called  a  warrior  from  being  associated  with  the  ship — although 
I  may  not  fire  a  blank  shot.  One  thing  I  am  sure  of,  that  if 
the  mercantile  part  of  the  Treaties  of  1 84 1  had  been  properly 
attended  to  as  they  were  made  with  the  native  chiefs  no  such 
trouble  as  the  present  would  have  been  experienced.  Though 
the  last  year  was  closed  with  a  chapter  of  most  painful  events 
in  connection  with  our  mission,  yet  I  look  above  to  the  Hand 
which  has  ever  overruled  similar  affairs  which  had  happened 
in  times  past  to  His  honour  and  the  advancement  of  His  own 
cause.    May  He  give  us  more  faith  to  trust  Him. 

A  rather  pensive  epistle,  penned  evidently  by  the 

bedside  of  his  sick  wife,  lies  before  us.     He  is  writing 

in  1880,  and  the  flight  of  time  impresses  him  : 

Lagos,  1880. 

"  Give  an  account  of  thy  stewardship,  for  thou  may  est  be 
no  longer  steward."  Whether  we  are  willing  or  reluctant  to 
hear,  the  truth  stands  unchangeable  ;  every  day's  occurrences 
which  we  are  called  to  witness,  by  the  removal  of  our  com- 
panions and  friends  to  give  their  accounts,  are  solemn  proofs 


312     CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS 

of  the  fact  of  the  shortness  of  time.  This  night  our  souls  may 
be  required  of  us  ;  may  we  learn  to  redeem  the  remaining 
days  of  our  life. 

During  the  last  eighteen  months  my  mind  has  been  more 
or  less  exercised  in  these  ways  at  the  bedside  of  my  dear  sick 
wife.  How  watchful  I  had  been  for  her  speedy  restoration  to 
health,  that  I  might  be  able  to  go  out  in  my  annual  visitation 
to  the  Niger  Mission  ;  but  the  favourable  change  was  long 
and  tardy  in  coming.  As  the  time  for  my  preparation  was 
rapidly  approaching,  I  could  neither  hasten  the  one  nor  retard 
the  other,  till  I  was  obliged  to  give  in  under  the  circumstances. 
Mental  struggles,  to  choose  the  preference  between  two  great 
responsibilities,  are  weighty  ;  it  was  a  natural  duty  to  attend 
my  sick  wife,  apparently  in  a  dying  state,  which  could  not  be 
avoided  ;  and  the  cares  of  the  mission,  especially  at  a  time 
when  it  was  disorganized  in  various  ways  which  threatened 
its  prosperity,  could  not  be  easily  quitted  ;  so  I  was  obliged 
to  perform  the  first  duty  of  charity  at  its  proper  place,  for 
"  charity  begins  at  home."  But  God,  in  whose  hand  our  life 
is,  has  not  seemed  to  be  ready  to  relieve  the  patient  sufferer, 
but  rather  to  continue  to  use  the  application  as  a  rod  in  the 
Father's  hand  to  correct  and  cure  the  soul.  To  Him  be  all  the 
praise. 

"  Better  to  wear  out  "  is  the  expressive  sentence  of 
a  letter  written  from  Onitsha  on  12  January,  1885  : 

We  have  invitations  from  several  heathen  and  Moham- 
medan authorities  from  various  parts  of  the  country  to  go 
and  establish  among  their  people  ;  so  that  no  less  than  three 
of  the  remaining  experienced  working  agents  have  been  pro- 
posed to  be  transferred  from  their  limited  but  promising 
stations  to  others  of  most  extensive  spheres  as  centres,  if 
practicable,  in  answer  to  their  call. 

It  is  better  to  wear  out  in  running  to  and  fro  in  conveying 
the  Gospel  invitation  to  such  people,  rough  handed,  than  to 
spend  one's  days  in  weeping  and  lamenting  over  unwilHng 
people  to  accept  the  message  of  the  Gospel. 

He  has  been  giving  a  full  description  of  the  Obotsi 
tribe  and  their  heathenish  customs,  and  relates  an 
interview  which  he  has  had  with  the  King  and  chiefs. 


CORRESPONDENCE  AND  COUNSELS     313 

who  did  nothing  but  obstruct  and  criticize.     He  is 
writing  in  February,  1886  : 

My  reply  was  simply  this.  That  in  the  Obotsis  refusing 
the  Christian  religion  and  God's  messengers  in  their  town  they 
refused  God  Himself  and  His  message,  sent  not  to  them  only, 
but  also  to  all  nations  ;  hence  they  refuse  His  gracious  offer 
of  salvation  to  them  through  Jesus  Christ.  That  God  Him- 
self heard  all  that  we  were  talking  about.  He  claims  all  souls 
as  His,  that  none  could  refuse  His  messenger  Death  when  it 
is  sent  to  summon  any  soul  before  Him  at  any  time. 

As  regards  their  surprise  that  no  case  of  gin  was  produced 
to  open  the  meeting  with,  I  told  them  plainly  that  it  is  against 
God's  reUgion  to  give  them  poison  to  drink,  therefore  they 
must  never  expect  any  from  me. 

One  of  his  last  letters,  written  on  board  a  ship  off 
Bonny  on  16  May,  1890,  deals  with  the  condition  of 
the  churches,  the  inevitable  misery,  and,  after  pleading 
for  patience,  as  well  as  punishment,  in  dealing  with 
the  weaker  brethren,  he  says  : 

All  which  tends  to  show  that  the  life  of  a  Christian  in  this 
world  is  a  life  of  constant  warfare,  of  watchfulness,  lest  Satan 
take  an  advantage  over  us  ;  it  is  a  life  of  earnest  prayer  to 
the  stronger  man  for  support  in  time  of  trial  and  temptation, 
that  we  may  not  be  ignorant  of  Satan's  devices,  though  he 
may  appear  as  an  angel  of  light. 

We  never  feel  satisfied  with  the  external  sign  of  Christian 
profession,  when  the  converts  brought  to  us  their  idols  and 
other  objects  of  worship  in  the  service  of  Satan,  until  we  have 
instructed  them  to  apply  to  Christ  to  arm  them  with  the  whole 
armour  of  God,  to  stand  in  the  evil  day  by  Christ,  and  pray 
that  He  may  not  leave  them  to  themselves  to  be  drawn  back 
to  the  bondage  of  Satan,  from  which  He  has  already  set  them 
free  ;  notwithstanding  what  allurements  may  be  offered  to 
draw  them  back  or  whatever  may  be  the  threat  to  their 
mortal  bodies,  even  to  death,  that  they  may  stand  steadfast 
by  faith  that  Christ  is  with  them. 


CHAPTER  X 

STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

E[E  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tide,  the  progress, 
with  intervals  of  retrogression,  of  the  work 
on  the  Niger  went  on.  The  simile,  however,  is  not 
quite  fitting,  for,  little  by  little,  ground  was  gained, 
and,  in  spite  of  many  drawbacks,  the  revivifying 
waters  of  Christian  teaching  and  influence  were 
making  the  desert  of  heathenism  to  blossom  as  the 
rose.  It  was,  of  course,  as  all  pioneer  work  must 
be,  a  constant  contest  with  difficulty,  the  traditions 
of  the  fathers,  the  grip  of  priestly  tyranny  ;  these 
kept  the  armour  of  faith  bright  by  valiant  use.  As 
the  Bishop  puts  it : 

When  a  change  is  about  to  take  place  from  an  old  con- 
stitution to  a  new  state  of  things  there  will  ever  be  a  conserva- 
tive party  to  defend  the  retention  of  old  time-honoured 
systems  in  opposition  to  those  who  desire  a  change  from  the 
old,  unprofitable,  and  meaningless  customs  and  superstitions 
received  from  the  tradition  of  their  fathers. 

Heathenism  is  in  Africa  the  old  system  which  invests  the 
old  men  and  priests  with  power  by  which  to  rule,  govern,  and 
keep  the  population  in  awe  under  their  control.  The  priests 
in  particular,  through  whom  the  gods  speak  as  their  oracles, 
whose  word  must  not  and  cannot  be  denied,  are,  in  fact,  the 
chief  ruling  power  among  many  superstitious  tribes  ;  through 
them  sacrifices,  human  and  animal,  are  made  to  propitiate 

314 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        315 

the  gods  ;  through  them  oaths  are  administered  to  bind  the 
keeping  of  an  agreement  made  between  two  parties  in  all 
matters  of  importance,  commercial  or  political. 

When  the  new  and  foreign  element  is  introduced  alarm  is 
taken — the  aggression  must  be  opposed.  Christianity  is  that 
silent  but  powerful  aggressor  which  threatens  the  downfall 
of  Paganism. 

This  fluctuation  was  most  keenly  felt  at  Bonny. 
In  spite  of  the  cruel  edicts  against  the  Christians, 
the  services  were  attended  with  regularity,  and  the 
persecuting  party  could  not  understand  how  it  was 
that  whippings  and  irons,  starvation,  and  even  death 
itself,  to  say  nothing  of  the  allurements  of  worldly 
inducements,  held  out  by  the  masters  to  their  slaves, 
could  not  stamp  out  the  faith.  Converts  were  being 
baptized,  and  the  Church  roll  increased,  although 
the  greatest  care  was  taken  to  admit  only  those 
who  maintained  a  sound  practice  as  well  as  a  good 
profession.  But  still  the  unsettled  political  state  of 
the  place  was  a  perpetual  hindrance.  No  one  person 
had  sufficient  power  to  rule,  and  the  work  of  God  had 
nothing  to  gain  from  the  anarchy  of  men. 

The  views  of  the  few  educated  minds  are  at  variance  with 
those  of  the  old  men,  who  are  the  fathers  and  the  leading  men 
of  the  country.  Unless  both  classes  can  be  so  tempered  as  to 
meet  half-way  with  each  other  for  the  good  of  those  under 
their  controlling  power  and  influence,  the  subjects  are  all  the 
sufferers.  Where  an  acknowledged  leading  head  is  not  re- 
garded there  can  be  no  order.  When  priests  and  priestesses 
of  the  gods  take  the  lead  in  swaying  the  destiny  of  the  nation, 
some  of  them  acting  the  part  of  Ahab,  and  their  wives,  the 
priestesses,  the  part  of  Jezebel,  stirring  up  their  husbands 
against  Christianity,  as  threatening  the  abolition  of  their 
idolatrous  system,  you  may  fairly  conceive  some  idea  of  the 
state  of  things  in  this  mission. 


3i6        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

The  converts  were  closely  watched,  and  it  was 
felt  even  a  risk  to  be  seen  too  much  in  the  company 
of  their  own  Bishop.  One  day  the  latter  was  going 
to  preach  at  St.  Clement's  Church  when  he  overtook 
a  number  of  young  men  bent  upon  the  same  direction. 
One  of  them  was  pointed  out  as  formerly  a  soldier  in 
the  Ashantee  War,  and  the  Bishop  asked  him  to  give 
his  compliments  to  his  master  on  his  return  home. 
The  young  fellow  answered  cautiously  and  in  a  low 
voice,  "  No,  I  no  fit."  He  was  asked  why  he  was  no 
fit  to  do  this.  He  replied  :  "  If  I  deliver  your  message, 
I  report  myself,  because  my  master  will  say,  '  Where 
did  you  see  the  Bishop  ?  Ah,  you  have  been  to 
church  !  '    therefore  I  must  get  punishment." 

As  might  be  expected,  the  Bishop  was  prompt 
and  courageous  in  interceding  for  the  liberty  and 
safety  of  his  flock,  and  on  one  occasion  waited  for 
hours  under  an  old  tree  until  the  chiefs  could  or  would 
assemble,  so  that  he  might  lay  before  them  the  case 
of  these  poor  suffering  converts.  When  they  did 
meet  at  last  it  was  only  to  prevaricate  and  try  to 
make  out  that  the  converts  were  disobedient  to  their 
masters,  and  therefore  were  worthy  of  punishment. 
But  they  were  not  going  to  put  off  the  Bishop  with 
these  groundless  and  frivolous  excuses.  Fearless 
of  their  frowns  and  threats,  he  faced  this  shuffling 
Sanhedrim  of  paganism,  and  poured  forth  a  stream 
of  forcible  language,  which  made  them  wince,  especially 
as  every  bush  in  the  vicinity  was  alive  and  awake  with 
eager  listeners.  Might  was  all  against  him,  but  God 
was  on  his  side. 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        317 

I  struck  at  the  root  at  once,  and  told  them  it  was  because 
the  converts  refused  to  join  in  the  worshij?  of  the  gods,  in 
making  sacrifices  and  eating  offerings  to  the  dead  ;  that  I 
could  not  be  deceived  in  such  a  matter  ;  that  we  were  com- 
manded to  teach  all  men — they,  the  chiefs,  not  excepted — 
to  abstain  from  sacrificing  to  dumb  idols  and  eating  the  sacri- 
fices to  the  dead,  which  provoked  God  to  anger,  confirming  all 
these  prohibitions  by  appropriate  passages  from  Scripture, 
which  were  distinctly  read  by  one  or  another  of  our  party. 
The  chiefs  heard  on  this  occasion  more  Scriptures  against  idol 
worship,  with  its  unprofitableness  and  inability  to  do  good 
or  to  do  evil,  than  they  had  ever  expected.  The  weakness 
of  their  superstitions  was  publicly  exposed  before  them,  which 
they  could  not  defend. 

The  case,  put  so  strongly  by  the  Bishop,  was  con- 
firmed by  a  quite  unexpected  and  impartial  witness. 
Captain  Boler,  a  white  merchant  and  a  kindly- 
disposed  man,  being  appealed  to  by  the  King  to  say 
whether  this  persecution  of  converts  was  true,  stepped 
forward,  and  delivered  his  soul  to  this  effect.  He  told 
them  that  this  kind  of  thing  had  been  tried  and  found 
to  fail  centuries  ago,  that  persecution  was  never 
successful  to  check  the  progress  of  Christianity,  instead 
of  which  it  had  roused  the  attention  of  even  the  most 
indifferent  to  inquire  into  its  nature,  and  ultimately  to 
adopt  it.  Probably  this  excellent  man  said  much 
more  to  the  point,  but  only  this  sentence  has  come 
down  to  us  ;  still,  such  a  testimony  was  of  the  greatest 
value  at  such  a  time. 

At  the  Brass  station  the  Bishop  found  things 
much  more  promising.  Preaching  to  a  crowded 
church,  and  afterwards  holding  a  confirmation  service, 
he  was  glad  to  notice  in  his  audience,  not  only  the 
chief,  Thomas  Spiff,  who  had  endured  so  much  for 


3i8        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

Christ's  sake,  but  just  in  front  of  liim,  sitting  sub- 
missively, clothed  literally  and  in  his  right  mind, 
the  chief  Oruwari,  the  leader  of  the  late  persecutions. 
A  great  and  wonderful  change  had  taken  place ; 
he  had  put  down  his  name  for  baptism,  together 
with  those  of  his  wife  and  other  persons  of  his  house- 
hold. Some  time  before  this  he  had  given  permission 
to  all  his  servants  and  retainers,  about  one  hundred 
in  all,  to  go  to  church  and  worship  God,  had  delivered 
up  his  idols,  and  one  of  these  discarded  deities  now 
adorns  a  niche  in  the  mission  house  at  Salisbury  Square. 
The  conversion  of  this  man  had  been  one  of  the  trophies 
of  the  mission,  for  he  was  a  standing  terror  to  every- 
body. He  was  a  trader  in  palm  oil,  and  in  his  pros- 
perity was  the  enemy  of  the  faith  ;  but  trouble  came, 
some  old  debts  of  his  ancestors  were  demanded  by 
merciless  creditors,  and  in  his  distress  and  isolation 
he  renounced  his  false  friends,  the  priests  and  the 
chiefs,  and  turning  from  his  insufficient  deities,  fled 
to  the  Saviour  of  the  Christians,  whom  he  had  here- 
tofore persecuted  so  relentlessly.  He  summed  up 
the  position  in  a  shrewd  if  worldly-wise  remark  : 
"  Those  whom  we  persecuted  and  attempted  to 
reduce  to  poverty  are  growing  fat,  while  we  who 
persecuted  them  in  defence  of  the  gods  are  growing 
lean." 

Anyway,  with  whatever  mixed  motives  in  the  first 
instance,  this  Saul  was  found  among  the  prophets, 
and  the  wondering  whisper  went  round  the  church 
that  Sunday  morning,  "  Is  Chief  Oruwari  a  church- 
goer ?  " 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        319 

When  the  Bishop  reached  Akassa  he  found  some  of 
the  leading  old  chiefs  much  shaken  in  their  confidence 
in  their  gods,  because  death  had  ruthlessly  carried 
off  recently  both  chiefs  and  priests,  in  spite  of  in- 
cantations. They  were  glad  to  welcome  the  Bishop 
again,  and  held  a  palaver  with  him  about  the  preaching, 
and  on  other  hands  told  him  that  the  assurance  given 
by  the  gods  through  their  priests  did  not  seem  worth 
having.  The  Bishop  showed  them  that  these  super- 
stitions could  not  affect  life  and  death  : 

God's  Word  declares  (said  he)  that  we  must  die  sooner  or 
later,  therefore  we  must  prepare  and  flee  to  Jesus  Christ  to 
fit  us  for  it  ;  whereas  the  gods  assured  them,  through  the 
priests,  that  if  they  offered  prescribed  sacrifices  they  need  not 
fear  death.  I  asked  what  was  the  cause  of  the  loud  cries  and 
mournful  lamentations  and  firing  of  guns  which  were  echoing 
in  our  ears  as  we  sat  talking.  They  replied  :  "Ah!  Depagara, 
the  great  medicine  man,  is  dead  !  True  alabo  [i.e.  gentleman], 
God  be  true,  Juju  be  lie  ;  we  are  all  thinking  what  to  do  with 
Juju  !  "  I  asked  whether  any  of  them  were  ready  to  be  with 
Depagara  this  evening,  to  accompany  him  into  the  world  of 
spirits.  "  No,"  was  the  reply.  "  Why  did  not  Depagara  tell 
Death  to  wait  till  you  were  all  ready  to  go  together  ?  "  They 
replied  :  "He  [Death]  no  will  hear  that."  Then  I  impressed 
upon  them  the  necessity  of  going  to  church  now.  "Go  to 
God,  each  of  you,  as  soon  as  possible  ;  wait  not  one  for 
another." 

Once  more  he  found  that  the  inconsistency  of  the 
white  man  trader  was  a  stumbHng-block  in  the  way 
of  the  Gospel  among  the  natives.  Of  course  these 
offending  persons  by  their  conduct  at  home  could 
bring  no  discredit  on  Christianity,  because  they  make 
no  profession  of  it  whatever,  but  the  effect  is  so  different 
among  the  heathen.  Every  sailor  or  soldier,  mer- 
chant or  traveller,  by  simple  virtue  of  his  colour  and 


320        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

civilization,  is  at  once  accounted  a  Christian,  and  thus 
that  title,  which  ought  to  mean  so  much,  is  dragged 
in  the  dust.  The  condition  of  the  Church  at  Onitsha 
was  a  forcible  illustration  of  this,  and  the  observations 
of  the  Bishop  thereon  are  well  worth  being  repro- 
duced. They  will  furnish  another  instance  of  his 
love  of  discipline  and  refusal  to  spare  the  rod  for  the 
sake  of  keeping  up  a  numerical  appearance  of  pros- 
perity in  the  Church. 

Civilized  intercourse  through  trade  has  its  advantages  as 
well  as  its  disadvantages.  Very  much  depends  upon  the 
agents  employed  in  the  trading  establishments  ;  if  they  are 
right-minded  persons — I  do  not  go  so  far  as  to  say  real  Chris- 
tians ;  if  they  take  some  interest  in  the  arduous  efforts  of 
missionaries  to  convert  the  heathen  from  gross  idolatry  and 
teach  them  Christian  civilization — our  work  is  very  much 
facilitated  ;  but  when  the  agents  have  no  spark  of  sympathy 
for  missionary  efforts,  and  care  not  whether  the  natives  are 
Christianized  or  not — are  ready,  moreover,  to  accuse  mission- 
aries as  meddlers  in  trade  matters  because  they  are  reproached 
for  trading  on  Sundays,  while  converts  are  prevented  from 
attending  church  or  class  on  pain  of  forfeiting  their  place  on 
the  factory — what  can  be  expected  but  disorder  and  confusion 
when  this  opposition  proceeds  from  a  white  man  ?  Those  who 
were  doubting  about  the  truth  of  their  own  heathenish  religion 
since  the  introduction  of  Christianity  are  now  hesitating  to 
make  a  change  to  the  new  religion,  which  is  opposed  by  those 
who  ought  to  have  supported  it  as  true. 

But  this  is  not  all  the  mischief  that  is  done.  Monogamy 
has  been  represented  to  this  people  as  contrary  to  Scripture  ; 
Jacob,  David,  and  Solomon  have  been  quoted  as  examples  of 
polygamists,  and  yet  they  were  beloved,  chosen  people  of 
God.  The  result  has  been  that  the  female  palm  oil  traders 
have  prostituted  their  female  slaves  at  the  factories,  and  some 
of  our  female  converts  followed  the  example  of  their  heathen 
companions  by  hiring  out  slaves  also.  Messrs.  Perry  and  Buck, 
the  young  ministers  in  charge,  had  to  combat  these  difficulties 
both   with   the   female   converts   and   the   civilized   nominal 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        321 

Christians.  They  suspended  from  membership  all  the  female 
converts  known  to  prostitute  their  female  slaves. 

On  my  return  to  this  place  on  27  July  the  male  converts 
got  a  long  letter  written  to  me,  stating  the  unstable  state  of 
the  Church  through  the  ungodly  example  of  civilized  men 
employed  at  the  factories. 

It  became  therefore  necessary  to  distinguish  between 
nominal  and  ungodly  Christians  and  those  who  are  real  Chris- 
tians, whose  walk  was  consistent  with  their  profession.  It 
was  no  easy  matter  to  make  these  distinctions,  and  to  make 
these  men  believe  that  characters  could  exist  in  Christian 
countries  who  are  not  regarded  as  true  Christians.  It  was  not 
a  pleasant  subject,  but  to  protect  the  new  Church  just  emerging 
out  of  gross  heathenism  it  was  most  necessary.  On  the  follow- 
ing Sunday,  the  first  day  of  August,  I  made  this  the  special 
subject  of  my  sermon,  many  of  the  educated  natives  employed 
at  the  factories  being  present.  I  had  to  expose  the  ungodly 
conduct  of  some  as  most  inconsistent  with  the  religion  they 
profess,  by  which  they  cast  a  stumbling-block  before  the 
heathen,  and  so  weaken  the  faith  of  the  new  converts  to 
Christianity.  Truly  there  is  a  time  and  season  for  every  pur- 
pose ;  this  was  a  time  to  rebuke  sharply,  that  they  may  be 
sound  in  faith  :  "  their  mouths  must  be  stopped,  who  subvert 
whole  houses,  teaching  things  they  ought  not  for  filthy  lucre's 
sake." 

On  Monday  following  the  elderly  female  converts  asked 
for  a  hearing  ;  it  lasted  about  three  hours,  when  many  ques- 
tions were  put  to  me  on  subjects  they  wished  to  be  corrected 
in,  among  which  was  the  prostitution  of  their  slaves.  Those 
who  acknowledged  their  offence,  expressing  deep  sorrow  and 
promising  amendment,  were  forgiven  and  readmitted  ;  while 
others  laid  the  whole  blame  upon  the  factory  men  who  had 
enticed  away  their  slaves,  over  whom  they  had  no  control ; 
on  showing  that  they  never  received  payments  for  such  an 
act,  they  were  readmitted  into  class,  for  which  they  were 
thankful.  It  is  a  time  of  ordeal  for  the  faith  of  Christian 
converts  from  heathenism.  May  the  Lord  bring  them  forth 
from  this  furnace  purified  seven  times  !  A  pleasing  feature 
in  the  conduct  of  these  converts  was  the  desire  to  be  corrected 
and  guided  aright ;  they  were  overcome  by  the  influence  of 
bad  example  of  those  from  whom  they  had  expected  better 
things,  but  finding  they  had  been  misled  they  were  ready  to 
remend. 


322        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

In  the  year  1875  the  Bishop  was  able  to  make  good 
progress  with  his  work  of  translating  the  Scriptures, 
and  gave  special  attention  to  the  preparation  of 
a  grammar  of  the  Ibo  language.  So  far  back  as 
1854  to  1857  ^6  had  begun  this  difficult  task,  and  had 
sent  the  manuscripts  to  England  by  the  hands  of 
his  old  friend  and  comrade  Mr.  Schon.  The  great 
hindrance  was  the  existence  of  so  many  dialects, 
each  being  naturally  assumed  by  its  speaker  to  be 
the  only  one  of  superiority,  whereas  in  constructing 
a  written  grammar  of  Ibo  it  appeared  that  the  Isu- 
ama  was  the  only  leading  dialect  of  the  nation. 
Onitsha  was  not  recognized  as  the  place  of  an  original 
Ibo  tribe  ;  the  people  had  come  from  the  Ado  country 
on  the  west  side  of  the  Niger,  crossing  to  the  east  on 
the  borders  of  the  Ibo  country,  and  becoming 
naturalized  by  intercourse  and  marriage.  They  re- 
tained their  old  customs,  and  their  word  of  salutation, 
"  Do !  "  is  the  same  as  in  Ado,  Benin,  and  the  Ondo. 
Therefore  the  language  of  Onitsha  was  a  corrupt 
dialect  of  the  Ibo  proper,  Isa.  Another  difficulty 
the  Bishop  met  with  in  this  translational  work  was 
that  a  translator  from  Sierra  Leone  might  be  born 
of  parents  of  different  tribes  ;  the  father  might  be 
an  Isu-ama  and  the  mother  an  Elugu,  so  it  was  neces- 
sary to  find  a  teacher  who  knew  the  pure  Isu-ama 
dialect,  and  by  his  assistance  construct  the  vocabulary. 
In  this  the  Bishop  was  not  altogether  successful. 
He  says  : 

Many  of  the  original  stock  of  the  Ibos  imported  in  Sierra 
Leone  years  ago  have  died  off  ;  others  are  so  old  and  infirm 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        323 

that  they  cannot  now  leave  the  colony.  Therefore  teachers 
were  sought  out  from  among  the  colony-born  men,  whose 
parents  were  known  to  be  good  Ibo  speakers.  We  commenced 
our  work  with  every  hope  of  success  when,  to  my  pain  and 
grief,  it  was  found  out  that  the  former  habits  of  these  men, 
uncultivated  for  mission  work,  totally  unfitted  them  for  a 
connection  with  the  mission.  Under  these  circumstances 
I  was  obliged  to  send  them  back  to  Sierra  Leone  without  delay. 

Like  the  typical  marine,  the  Bishop  was  a  handy 
man.  He  was  as  much  at  home  in  helping  with 
building  operations  as  constructing  a  grammatical 
language.  We  get  a  glimpse  of  him  showing  his 
people  how  to  make  bricks.  On  his  return  to  Kipo 
Hill  station  from  Bida  he  examined  with  the  eye  of 
an  expert  the  red  and  white  sandstone  clay  which 
formed  the  hill.  He  observed  that  after  the  heavy 
rains  the  action  of  the  sun  hardened  the  surface 
of  the  clay,  but  a  little  deeper  down  it  still  continued 
soft  and  moist.  So  he  got  a  carpenter  to  make  him 
a  brick  mould  according  to  pattern  seen  in  England, 
but  probably  the  same  as  used  in  Egyptian  buildings, 
and  then  after  getting  some  men  to  work  the  clay 
into  the  proper  consistency,  he  showed  them  by  his 
own  hands  how  to  use  the  mould,  and  made  twenty- 
five  specimen  bricks.  He  then  constructed  artificial 
arches  of  dried  bricks  for  furnaces,  and  was  soon 
able  to  produce,  with  his  assistants,  five  hundred 
baked  bricks,  made  as  far  as  possible  in  the  same  way 
as  in  the  white  man's  country.  Of  course  this  was 
before  the  introduction  of  machinery  and  other 
progressive  inventions  as  regards  kilns,  etc. 

Of  these  home-made  materials  the  new  mission 
house  at  Kipo  Hill  was  built. 


324        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

On  II  June,  1877,  the  Bishop,  being  in  England, 
read  an  important  paper  upon  the  River  Niger  before 
the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  which  attracted 
much  interest.  Apart  altogether  from  the  valuable 
geographical  facts  which  he  brought  before  the  au- 
dience, the  personaUty  of  the  lecturer  was  an  unusual 
feature.  It  had  never  been  the  case  that  a  black 
man,  once  a  slave  and  now  a  prelate,  had  come  before 
them  as  an  explorer  and  a  well-read  and  cultured 
observer,  and  so  distinguished.  He  went  into  minute 
and  valuable  details  of  this  great  and  then  almost 
unknown  territory  through  which  the  River  Niger 
flowed,  giving  vivid  sketches  of  the  various  tribes, 
and  the  possibilities  of  trade  developments  in  the 
future. 

References  were  made  to  the  various  languages  in 
vogue,  and  he  ventured  to  give  some  sound  practical 
advice  which  would  be  helpful  to  travellers  and 
merchants  entering  the  country.  The  origin  of  the 
Foulah  race  was  an  interesting  section  of  his  paper. 

At  the  close,  the  President,  Sir  Rutherford  Alcock, 
asked,  as  he  had  been  much  struck  by  the  Bishop's 
remarks  on  the  progress  of  Mohammedanism  among 
the  conquered  nations,  what  was  the  real  effect  of 
their  religion  upon  the  races  ;  did  it  purify  and  im- 
prove their  social  position  ?  It  seemed  by  its  sim- 
plicity to  recommend  itself  to  the  native  mind,  but 
it  was  a  question  how  far  it  could  be  possible  to  con- 
vert tribes  into  peaceable  natives. 

The  Bishop,  in  reply,  admitted  that  Mohamme- 
danism had  done  some  good  among  the  natives;  in 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        325 

so  far  as  they  dared  do  it  with  safety  they  had  abolished 
the  worship  of  idols  and  offering  of  human  sacrifices, 
but  if  they  had  mingled  charity  with  their  teaching, 
the  natives  would  have  more  firmly  adhered  to  them. 
They  were,  however,  very  oppressive.  They  were 
slave  holders,  and  their  object  was  not  so  much  to 
proselytize  as  to  enslave,  and  the  populations  under 
their  sway  disliked  them  exceedingly.  When  he  first 
established  a  Christian  mission  at  the  Confluence  of 
the  Niger  and  the  Binue  the  Mohammedans  attended 
this  place  of  worship,  but  though  they  had  been  masters 
of  the  country  to  his  knowledge  since  1841,  no  sooner 
did  the  Christian  mission  go  there,  than  the  heathen 
voluntarily  erected  a  shed  and  invited  him  to  preach 
the  Gospel  to  them.  Both  this  shed  and  a  second 
one  were  accidentally  burnt,  but  the  natives  rebuilt 
them,  and  worship  was  conducted  there.  Because 
the  Yoruba  country  people  dress  in  flowing  toga, 
travellers  had  taken  them  for  Mohammedans.  Two 
years  ago,  in  a  village,  it  was  found  that  out  of  a 
population  of  five  hundred  there  had  not  been  a 
single  convert  to  Mohammedanism,  the  people  re- 
maining idolaters,  though  all  taken  for  Mohammedans 
because  of  their  clothing. 

In  proposing  a  vote  of  thanks  the  Dean  of  Lichfield 
"  hoped  that  Bishop  Crowther  was  the  representative 
of  a  new  race  of  African  bishops,  who  with  enhghtened 
knowledge  and  judgment  might  be  pioneers  of  those 
who  should  still  further  explore  Africa." 

Later  on  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Geographical 
Society  presented  a  gold  watch,  value  forty  pounds. 


326        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

to  the  Bishop,  in  recognition  of  his  valuable  services 
to  geographical  science. 

The  work  on  the  Niger  had  already  attracted 
a  great  deal  of  interest  in  England  among  the  sup- 
porters of  missionary  enterprise,  and  it  was  felt 
that  if  a  vessel  could  be  built  specially  for  his  use  in 
going  to  and  fro,  it  would  prove  a  great  advantage. 
Subscriptions  came  in  freely  from  his  many  friends 
at  home,  and  as  a  result  a  trim  little  paddle  steamer, 
able  to  do  ten  knots  an  hour,  was  built  and  launched 
on  the  Clyde,  and  suitably  christened  the  Henry  Venn, 
in  memory  of  that  faithful  friend  of  West  Africa. 
It  was  a  temperance  ship,  with  an  efficient  crew,  and 
to  ensure  its  safety  it  sailed  off  from  Falmouth,  es- 
corted by  H.M.S.  Forester,  on  2  March,  1878.  This 
vessel  became  a  valuable  acquisition  to  the  mission  ; 
but  the  most  remarkable  voyage  was  up  the  Binue, 
nearly  eight  hundred  miles,  the  result  of  which  Mr. 
Ashcroft,  the  newly-appointed  secular  agent,  em- 
bodied in  an  interesting  journal.  It  will  be  remem- 
bered that  the  second  expedition  of  Dr.  Baikie  and 
Bishop  Crowther  in  the  Pleiad  in  1854  reached  a  point 
not  far  from  Hamaruwa,  four  hundred  miles  from  the 
Confluence,  and  six  hundred  miles  from  the  sea. 
Three  years  before  that  time  Dr.  Barth,  in  returning 
from  his  explorations  in  the  Soudan,  crossed  near  the 
same  place,  Ayola,  seventy  miles  further  up  the  Binue, 
but  had  not  stayed  to  make  any  explorations  either 
up  or  do\Mi  the  river.  The  Henry  Venn,  however, 
steamed  one  hundred  and  forty  miles  beyond  this 
point,  and  discovered  that  further  up  the  tributary 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        327 

the  Mayo  Kebi  flows  in,  and  from  this  the  Binue 
gains  its  strong  volume  of  water,  above  that  being 
only  a  small  stream.  The  valuable  observations  of 
this  expedition  were  set  forth  in  a  paper  contributed 
to  the  Royal  Geographical  Society,  and  read  at  one 
of  their  meetings  on  22  March,  1879,  by  Mr.  Hutchin- 
son, the  lay  secretary  of  the  Church  Missionary 
Society.  The  Bishop  was  unfortunately  unable  to 
accompany  this  expedition,  in  consequence  of  the 
illness  of  Mrs.  Crowther.  His  disappointment  is 
expressed  in  one  of  his  letters  quoted  on  another  page. 
This  being  the  case,  it  is  not  within  the  province 
of  this  work  to  do  more  than  record  a  few  words  from 
the  journal  of  Mr.  Ashcroft,  describing  his  visit  to 
the  chief  at  the  furthest  point  reached  by  the  Henry 
Venn,  and  how  he  further  pushed  up  the  stream  in 
an  open  boat  to  explore  to  the  utmost  this  fascinating 
country  before  turning  back.  The  water  was  falhng 
rapidly,  and  it  was  clear  that  the  river  every  day  was 
growing  more  dangerous  for  navigation.  They  an- 
chored in  midstream,  and  sent  a  boat  towards  a 
crowd  of  naked  natives  assembled  on  the  shore  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  river. 

The  people  were  not  able  to  get  to  the  edge  of  the  main 
stream  on  account  of  the  grass  being  overflowed  about  three 
feet  ;  but  they  called  for  us  to  try  higher  up,  and  soon  we 
found  an  opening  in  the  thick  grass  and  pulled  the  boat,  the 
people  coming  up  to  their  middle  in  water  to  help  us  and 
going  before  to  show  us  the  best  way  to  get  to  the  dry  ground. 
We  got  the  boat  as  far  as  we  could,  and  then  it  had  to  be 
carried  thirty  or  forty  yards. 

Mr.  Kirk,  Flegel,  and  myself  then  went  to  visit  Garawara. 
The  chief's  name  was  Sufen.    He  informed  me  that  the  rocks 


328        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

near  which  we  had  anchored  would  soon  be  dry,  for  the  water 
was  going  down,  and  he  did  not  think  it  would  rise  again  this 
year  ;  also  that  when  the  river  began  to  fall  it  fell  very 
rapidly,  and  that  we  should  see  all  the  rocks  in  a  few  days. 
When  asked,  "  How  long  are  you  able  to  use  canoes  ?  "  he 
said,  "  Two  or  three  moons  only  every  year."  The  rest  of 
the  time  they  go  by  land,  and  can  cross  the  river  without 
canoes  ;  but  there  were  deep  pools  with  plenty  of  alligators, 
etc.  I  asked  the  name  of  the  mountain  to  which  I  had  given 
the  name  of  Burdett-Coutts,  and  was  told  it  was  "  Ostuting- 
gading."  I  asked  how  far  the  Kebi  was,  and  they  said  by 
canoe  three  and  a  half  days,  by  land  two  and  a  half  days. 
The  town  of  Dengi  was  at  the  Confluence  of  the  Binue  and 
Kebi.  "  What  is  the  Binue  like  past  the  Kebi  ?  "  "  It  is 
only  a  small  river."  "  How  far  is  it  until  you  get  to  where 
you  say  the  Binue  comes  over  mountains  in  the  Gumderi 
country  ?  "  "  By  land,  fast  walking,  eight  days  ;  by  canoe 
thirteen  days."  "  Do  you  know  the  names  of  any  towns  on 
the  way  ?  "  "  Yes,  a  few.  Reborn,  Dull,  Drugi,  and  Golumbi." 
But  our  informant  had  not  been  beyond  Golumbi,  three  days 
distant  from  here.  They  said  that  where  the  Binue  rises  the 
name  of  the  people  is  the  Bum  people.  No  one  that  we  came 
across  knew  anything  of  the  Belle  or  Shary  or  of  any  great 
river  or  lake  hereabouts. 

In  the  afternoon  we  took  the  Winifred  and  steamed  about 
eight  miles  up  the  river  to  the  town  of  Reborn,  on  the  right 
bank,  a  beautiful  situation  and  about  a  mile  from  the  Burdett 
range,  magnificent  mountains,  and  at  the  distance  they  looked 
like  a  large  palace,  with  the  centre  part  of  the  building  higher 
than  the  rest.  The  finest  scene  of  the  whole  river  was  just 
about  here.  I  was  exceedingly  sorry  to  have  to  turn  back, 
the  country  being  so  beautiful  ;  and  the  people  just  received 
us  like  old  friends,  not  the  least  alarmed  when  we  approached 
with  the  steamer  ;  they  were  also  Bornu  people,  speaking 
Fula. 

We  had  only  time  to  climb  a  hill  and  look  at  the  moun- 
tains in  the>  distance  before  it  was  time  to  turn  back.  I  asked 
if  they  would  like  white  men  to  come  and  live  with  them  at 
this  and  other  towns,  and  the  people  and  her  chiefs  would 
like  it  much,  for  white  men  would  make  their  country  good. 
That  appears  to  be  the  belief  of  all  of  them  whenever  you  ask. 
It  was  getting  dusk  as  we  very  reluctantly  got  into  the  launch 
to  run  back  to  the  Henry  Venn,  distant  about  eight  or  nine 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        329 

miles.  We  bid  the  people  good-bye  and  they  wished  us  God 
speed,  and  hoped  we  should  soon  come  again  and  visit  them 
and  be  able  to  stay. 

Although,  as  we  have  said,  the  Bishop  had  been 
debarred  from  seeing  with  his  own  eyes  these  new 
regions,  and  to  make  acquaintance  with  a  people 
so  interesting  and  accessible,  he  was  keenly  in- 
terested in  this  voyage  of  the  Henry  Venn.  To  him 
this  seemed  as  another  open  door,  and  he  yearned 
for  the  time  when  he  would  be  able  to  carry  the  good 
tidings  of  Christianity  up  there. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  progress  of  commerce  on 
the  Niger  was  unfortunately  from  time  to  time  in- 
terrupted by  the  blind  opposition  and  treachery  of 
the  natives.  In  1878  two  trading  steamers  at  a 
narrow  bend  of  the  river  found  a  stout  hawser  stretched 
across  to  bar  their  further  progress  homewards  down 
the  stream,  and  while  thus  arrested  were  fired  upon 
from  the  banks,  and  one  man  killed  on  board.  The 
motive  for  this  outrage  appears  to  have  been  pure 
jealousy  of  the  palm  oil  trade  on  the  river,  and  a 
determination  to  divert  it  by  force  into  another 
channel  for  the  advantage  of  other  tribes.  As  a 
consequence  the  merchants  appealed  to  Commodore 
Hewitt,  who  was  blockading  Dahomey,  and  two  gun- 
boats ascended  the  Nun  branch  of  the  Niger  and 
destroyed  the  offending  village.  For  a  time  peace 
was  restored,  and  both  traders  and  missionaries 
were  undisturbed ;  but  in  October,  1879,  a  more 
serious  outbreak  occurred.  Outrages  had  become 
insufferable  upon  British  subjects  in  the  pursuit  of 


330        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

commerce,  and  as  this  was  chiefly  at  Onitsha,  the 
British  Consul  on  board  H.M.S.  Pioneer  anchored 
off  the  town,  and  sent  for  the  chiefs  to  come  and  give 
guarantees  that  better  order  should  be  kept  in  future. 
At  first  they  refused  to  show  themselves,  but  when 
two  of  the  mission  agents,  accompanied  by  some  of 
the  leading  traders,  went  to  persuade  them,  they  came 
on  board,  and  the  Consul  demanded  that  the  ring- 
leaders of  the  recent  riots  and  outrages  be  given  up. 
The  chiefs  said  they  must  refer  to  their  King,  and  the 
Consul  gave  them  till  noon  the  next  day.  In  the 
meantime  the  robbers  were  actually  raiding  some 
houses,  and  a  mob  gathered  and  plundered  the  mission 
premises.  To  fill  up  the  cup  of  their  insolence  to 
the  brim,  during  the  night  the  ships  were  fired  on, 
and  one  of  the  captains  wounded.  Early  in  the 
morning  the  huts  of  the  ringleaders  were  destroyed, 
and  at  the  expiration  of  the  time  allowed,  the  vessel 
opened  fire  on  the  town,  which  was  burnt  and  utterly 
destroyed.  The  lesson  to  these  unscrupulous  heathen 
was  doubtless  a  salutary  one,  but  it  was  a  sad  blow 
to  the  Christian  work  of  this  the  first  station  founded 
by  the  Bishop.  On  the  previous  Sunday  more  than 
two  hundred  and  sixty  persons  were  present  at  church, 
and  the  Bible  classes  were  largely  attended.  Now 
the  place  was  a  deserted  and  smoking  ruin  ! 

"  Thus  end,"  writes  the  Rev.  S.  Perry,  the  pastor, 
"  our  hopes  and  plans  for  the  improvement  of  Onitsha." 
We  now  return  to  the  Delta,  and  a  notable  person, 
Ockiya,  the  King  of  Brass,  deserves  a  mention  here. 
He  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  intelligence,  and 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        331 

was  much  impressed  by  what  he  saw  of  the  industrial 
work  which  the  Bishop  had  inaugurated  in  the  mission 
compound.  He  was  shown  the  sawyers  at  work, 
which  was  a  surprise  to  him,  and  when  he  had  visited 
the  gardens  where  the  fruits  were  growing  so  well 
and  the  little  yams,  recently  planted,  were  giving 
such  promise  by  their  special  cultivation,  he  naturally 
expressed  a  desire  to  see  such  yams  growing  in  his 
own  place.  The  Bishop,  who  displayed  these  things 
to  the  King,  took  the  opportunity  of  pointing  out  the 
folly  of  juju  worship,  and  he  appeared  thoughtful. 
About  this  time  his  daughter,  who  was  a  scholar  in 
the  Christian  school,  died  suddenly,  and  Ockiya, 
instead  of  consulting  his  god  for  the  reason  of  this 
sorrow,  bore  it  very  patiently,  repeating  what  he 
had  been  taught,  "  God  gave  and  God  takes  away." 
The  Bishop  later  on  reported  that  the  King  had  broken 
through  the  laws  of  the  gods  which  forbade  the  in- 
habitants of  the  Brass  River  to  grow  yams  on  their 
own  soil,  and  to  cut  the  stems  of  certain  creepers  or 
climbers,  or  large  trees,  on  pain  of  punishment  of 
paying  a  heavy  fine  of  some  casks  of  palm  oil  for  the 
offence  given  to  the  gods.  Ockiya,  however,  seems 
to  have  plucked  up  heart  and  dared  these  deities, 
for  he  ordered  men  to  clear  the  jungles,  to  cut  down 
the  trailing  creepers,  and  in  place  of  these  to  plant 
yams.  This  was  followed  by  a  bolder  step,  when  he 
sent  three  of  his  largest  idols  to  the  missionary  by 
the  hand  of  his  daughter,  and  afterwards,  in  the  face 
of  his  people,  he  carried  his  charms  and  other  objects 
of  his   confidence,   and  threw   them   into   the   river. 


332        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

On  Advent  Sunday,  1879,  he  was  duly  baptized, 
receiving  the  new  Christian  name  of  Josiah  Constantine, 
having  previously  handed  to  the  Bishop  his  remaining 
idols,  cut  down  his  sacred  groves,  and,  last  not  least, 
dismissed  all  his  wives  save  one.  Two  weeks  after 
this  the  King  died.  It  is  reported  that  on  his  death- 
bed the  juju  priests  tried  hard  to  make  him  recant, 
but  without  success,  being  kept  steadfast  in  the  faith 
through  the  influence  of  the  Christian  woman  of  his 
household,  who  attended  him  in  his  last  moments. 
He  died  "  calling  on  Christ." 

Many  instances  might  be  given  of  the  power  of 
the  juju  superstition.  A  new  station  had  been 
opened  by  the  Bishop  at  Okrika,  and  here  a  notorious 
chief,  Atorodibo,  and  his  wife  were  converted  to 
the  Christian  faith.  At  a  certain  time  of  the  year  the 
women  of  the  Okoni  and  the  Okrika  people  visit  a 
market  for  trade,  midway  between  the  two  towns, 
and  before  crossing  the  stream  the  Okrika  women 
offered  sacrifices  to  gods  for  a  favourable  market, 
and  every  woman  on  crossing  was  chalked  on  the 
forehead  by  the  juju  priest.  When  it  came  to  the 
turn  of  the  wife  of  Atorodibo  she  refused  to  offer 
sacrifices  or  suffer  her  face  to  be  daubed  with  chalk, 
and  that  night,  in  consequence  of  some  offence  given 
by  the  Okrika  people,  the  Okoni  men  lay  in  ambush, 
and  killed  nearly  all  the  women,  except  a  few  reserved 
for  captivity.  Amongst  the  latter  was  Atorodibo's 
wife.  She  implored  her  captor,  "  in  the  name  of  the 
God  of  heaven,"  not  to  injure  her.  She  was  told 
it  was  the  Okoni  juju,  which  was  stronger  than  that 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        333 

of  Okrika,  which  had  delivered  her  into  their  hands. 
But  the  woman  repHed  :  "  I  do  not  beUeve  in  any 
juju  ;  myself  and  my  husband  worship  God,  the  God 
of  heaven,  and  for  that  God's  sake  release  me,  and  let 
me  return  home."  This  answer  mystified  the  man, 
and  he  asked  her  to  tell  him  about  this  "  God  of 
heaven,"  and  what  was  His  worship.  The  woman 
then,  like  her  predecessor  at  Jacob's  well,  told  him 
what  wonderful  things  the  Lord  had  done  for  her, 
and  how  her  husband,  too,  had  accepted  Christ  and 
worshipped  idols  no  more. 

The  story  strangely  charmed  the  man,  and  dropping 
his  voice  to  a  whisper,  he  said  :  "  Be  quiet,  do  not 
let  any  one  know  that  you  are  with  me.  At  dead 
of  night  I  shall  take  you  over  to  Okrika,  though 
we  have  sworn  that  not  a  soul  shall  return." 

True  to  his  promise,  he  woke  up  the  distressed 
woman  at  midnight,  led  her  through  the  bush  to  the 
riverside,  and  pulled  her  across  in  a  small  canoe  to 
Okrika  town.  Of  course  all  the  place  was  astir, 
anxious  for  the  return  of  the  wives,  sisters,  and  daugh- 
ters who  would  come  back  no  more.  Preparations 
were  at  once  set  on  foot  to  attack  Okoni  at  daylight. 
Through  the  agitated  town  Atorodibo's  wife  quietly 
passed  and  knocked  at  the  door  of  her  house.  Her 
appearance  was  Uke  one  from  the  dead.  She  told 
all  the  sad  story,  and  also  of  the  plans  which  she  had 
overheard  by  the  way  in  which  the  Okoni  warriors 
were  going  to  repel  any  attack.  This  guided  her  own 
people  in  their  expedition,  so  that  they  were  successful 
in  rescuing  the  surviving  Okrika  women  out  of  the 


334        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

hands  of  the  enemy.  This  incident  made  a  great 
impression  at  Okrika,  for  the  people  felt  that  her 
refusal  to  sacrifice  or  have  her  face  chalked  had  saved 
her  life  and  that  of  so  many  of  her  people,  and  that 
the  Christian's  God  could  preserve  where  the  juju 
failed.  Among  a  people  prone  to  signs  and  wonders 
this  event  was  wonderful  and  effective. 

It  is  encouraging  to  note  that  some  of  those  who 
had  been  the  leaders  of  persecution  in  these  Delta 
stations  died  in  the  faith,  acknowledging  their  wrong- 
doing. One  of  these,  a  chief  who  had  been  a  cruel 
opponent  of  the  work,  openly  confessed  the  great 
change  which  had  come  over  him,  and  described 
himself  as  "  the  Saul  who  became  Paul,  and  took  off 
his  hat  for  Christ,  whom  he  had  fought  and  hoped  to 
conquer,  but  who  had  conquered  him."  Indeed, 
he  became  valiant  in  defence  of  the  truth  he  had  once 
persecuted,  and  his  dying  message  was,  "  Tell  the 
minister  when  he  comes  that  I  die  in  Christ." 

Some  of  these  chiefs  were  ready  to  help  in  the 
building  of  churches,  and  even  sent  to  England  for 
their  gifts.  This  was  the  case  with  Chief  Squiss, 
who  wished  to  show  his  friendliness  in  helping  to 
furnish  the  newly-reopened  Church  of  St.  Stephen's 
in  1880,  and  obtained  from  London  an  elegant  drawing- 
room  clock,  for  which  he  paid  nine  pounds,  and  this 
rather  unusual  timepiece  for  such  a  purpose  certainly 
gave  a  finish  to  the  interior  appearance  of  the  sacred 
building.  This  was  the  offering  of  a  man  who  had 
not  accepted  Christianity.  The  Bishop  makes  a 
point  of  drawing  attention,  in  a  letter  from  Bonny 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        335 

at  this  time,  to  the  salutary  effect  of  Christian  in- 
fluence even  among  people,  like  this  chief,  who  have 
not  become  believers  in  its  teaching  : 

Contrary  to  custom,  when  canoes  were  got  ready  to  go  out 
on  a  war  expedition,  and  sacrifices  were  made  and  the  blood 
of  the  animal  victims  were  spilt  on  the  war  canoes  to  pro- 
pitiate the  god  of  war,  the  converts,  as  one  man,  refused  to 
perform  juju  or  to  eat  of  the  sacrifices,  on  the  ground  that 
it  is  idolatrous,  superstitious,  and  contrary  to  the  law  of  God 
and  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion  which  they  had 
performed.  Some  of  the  head  chiefs  sided  with  them  ;  but 
one  of  the  head  chiefs,  an  opponent  to  Christianity,  ordered 
a  priest  to  offer  an  animal  sacrifice  to  his  own  canoe,  which 
the  priest,  though  not  yet  professing  Christianity,  refused  to 
do  on  the  conviction  of  the  folly  of  these  practices.  The  head 
chief,  being  enraged,  ordered  one  of  his  slaves  to  take  a  whip 
and  chastise  the  priest  to  compel  him  to  do  his  duty,  but  the 
servant  declined  doing  so.  He  ordered  another  to  execute  his 
order  on  the  priest,  but  he  also  declined.  On  the  third  re- 
fusing, he  got  up  in  a  great  rage,  took  up  the  whip  himself, 
and  spent  the  whole  of  his  strength  on  the  delinquent  priest, 
when  he  was  led  away  by  some  standers  by  who  were  witness- 
ing the  proceedings  of  the  day.  Thinking  that  the  priest  has 
received  a  salutary  lesson  from  him,  and  that  he  would  now 
be  intimidated  to  refuse  his  order,  he  sent  to  call  him  at  another 
time  to  go  over  and  perform  the  required  sacrifices,  but  the 
reply  from  the  priest  was  to  this  effect,  that  had  he  intended 
to  offer  the  sacrifice  he  would  not  have  suffered  himself  to  be 
so  severely  beaten  and  shamefully  treated  in  public  ;  but  it 
was  too  late,  he  would  do  no  more  sacrifices  to  the  gods. 
Soon  after  this  he  enlisted  himself  as  a  candidate  for  baptism. 

The  reaction  in  favour  of  Christianity  was  largely 
due  to  the  dying  warnings  of  a  notorious  idolatrous 
chief  known  as  Captain  Hart,  who  had  persecuted 
the  converts,  and  had  made  a  great  show  of  his  ad- 
herence to  the  tradition  of  his  gods.  It  was  through 
this  man's  wicked  treatment  of  the  poor  converts 
that   their   sufferings   were   beyond   expression,    and 


336        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

often  meant  death.  They,  however,  stood  firm. 
Pardon,  gifts,  and  promotion  even  were  offered  if 
they  would  only  give  up  Christ,  and  as  an  alternative 
they  were  threatened  with  a  fearful  increase  of  suffer- 
ing should  they  decline.  But  these  poor  black  men, 
whose  names  are  unknown  save  to  the  recording 
angel,  were  magnificent  in  their  martyrdom.  Here 
is  the  answer  sent  by  one  of  them  to  such  an  offer  : 
"  Tell  the  master  I  thank  him  for  his  kindness.  He 
himself  knows  that  I  never  refused  to  perform  duties 
required  of  me  at  home.  But  as  regards  turning 
back  to  heathen  worship,  that  is  out  of  my  power, 
for  Jesus  has  taken  charge  of  my  heart,  and  padlocked 
it.  The  key  is  with  Him.  So  you  see  it  is  impossible 
for  me  to  open  it  without  Him." 

Another,  in  the  midst  of  excessive  agony,  was  not 
prepared  to  purchase  release  by  apostasy.  They 
threatened  him  with  keener  pains  and  heavier  bur- 
dens. He  answered  :  "  I  have  made  up  my  mind, 
God  helping  me,  to  be  in  chains,  should  it  so  please 
the  Lord,  even  till  the  coming  of  the  judgment  day." 
No  wonder  that  the  author  of  such  wrongs  should 
strive  to  make  some  atonement,  and  to  show  how  he 
himself  had  done  with  the  worship  of  the  gods.  On 
his  deathbed  he  told  his  people  that  he  had  found  out 
that  all  these  gods  were  lies,  and  warned  them  against 
putting  any  trust  in  such  vanities.  His  orders  that 
after  his  death  every  image  and  juju  found  in  any 
house  was  to  be  destroyed  were  carried  out  to  the 
letter. 

Two  young  men  converts  came  to  the  mission  house 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        337 

one  day  and  asked  the  Bishop  to  sell  them  some  books. 
He  asked  them  where  they  had  come  from,  and  they 
answered,  "The  Land  of  Israel."  What  meant  that 
strange  reply  ?  They  told  him  :  "  You  do  not  know, 
sir,  what  changes  are  taking  place  at  Bonny ;  that 
yonder  village  Ayambo  is  now  named  the  Land  of 
Israel,  because  no  idol  is  to  be  found  in  it.  Though 
you  may  walk  through  the  village,  you  will  not  find 
a  single  idol  in  it  as  an  object  of  worship." 

This  place  might  also  have  been  styled  a  City  of 
Refuge,  for  it  was  a  place  of  security  to  which  converts 
fled  when  persecuted  by  their  enemies.  In  a  later 
letter  dated  June,  1881,  the  Bishop  speaks  of  a  service 
held  at  Nembe,  on  the  Brass  River,  when  four  old 
women,  one  too  aged  and  infirm  to  totter  to  the  altar 
rails,  were  duly  confirmed  in  the  presence  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty  people.  These  old  women  had 
been  a  great  stumbling-block  in  the  way  of  Christianity  ; 
one  was  formerly  a  devoted  priestess  of  the  gods, 
and  their  humble  and  sincere  consecration  of  them- 
selves to  Christ  that  day  had  a  marked  effect  upon 
the  people.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  old 
women,  with  their  great  influence  and  authority,  are 
often  a  serious  drawback  to  mission  work  in  West  Africa. 

Passing  to  the  work  on  the  Upper  Niger  we  have 
a  description  of  the  Onitsha  native  given  in  one  of 
the  reports  of  Archdeacon  Johnson,  which  shows 
what  a  genuine  savage  he  is.  This  is  the  material 
upon  which  the  missionary  has  to  work,  and  nothing 
short  of  Divine  grace  could  transform  such  a  creature 
into  a  convert  worthy  of  the  Christian  name  : 


338        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

As  he  scruples  not  to  do  injury  to  his  neighbour,  so  he  is 
ever  afraid  of  being  injured  himself  ;  hence  there  is  a  general 
feeling  of  distrust.  They  are  rarely  seen  about  but  with  knives 
and  guns — a  sure  proof  of  a  prevailing  sense  of  insecurity. 
The  Onitsha  increases  his  natural  ferocity  by  making  ghastly 
incisions  about  his  body  and  fantastic  marks  on  his  face. 
He  chalks  his  eyebrows  for  the  same  reason,  and  looks  fierce 
indeed.  Like  the  great  Ibo  tribe  generally,  he  is  quick  to  be 
in  a  passion,  and  while  in  that  state  can  commit  the  most 
brutal  crimes  without  the  slightest  hesitation  ;  nor  does  he 
afterwards  feel  the  smallest  compunction  in  reflecting  upon 
the  sad  effect  of  his  passion.  Nay,  in  certain  cases  he  prides 
himself  on  having  done  these  things  and  boasts  of  his  conduct 
to  others.  The  time  has  not  much  gone  by,  if  at  all,  when  a 
certain  Onitsha  in  quarrelling  with  his  companion  would  say 
to  him  in  a  tone  of  superiority  :  "  What  do  you  mean  to  tell 
me  ?  I  have  killed  about  six  men  in  my  time.  How  many 
have  you  killed  ?  "  It  is  true  ;  the  feathers  in  his  cap  prove 
that  the  boast  is  not  an  idle  one. 

Still,  while  the  Bishop  was  visiting  the  station, 
many  incidents  were  told  him  of  conversions  which 
had  occurred  in  the  revival  following  the  time  of 
persecution.  One  of  these  stories  is  worthy  of  a  brief 
record  : 

A  woman  named  Ekubie  gave  up  idol  worship  and  brought 
her  gods  to  the  catechist.  She  was  converted  by  means  of  a 
picture.  Once,  on  entering  the  Mission  House,  she  saw  a 
picture  on  the  wall.  It  was  one  of  the  cheap  German  sketches, 
a  representation  of  Jesus  sitting  before  a  table  in  the  attitude 
of  blessing  a  loaf  of  bread  which  He  held  in  His  hand,  and  a 
cup  before  Him.  The  catechist  patiently  explained  who  Jesus 
Christ  was  :  "  The  Saviour  of  men,  who  came  into  this  world 
and  died  to  take  away  sin."  Gradually  the  woman  became 
interested,  and  at  length  she  asked  :  "  Did  He  die  for  me 
too  ?  "  "  Yes,"  was  the  immediate  reply  ;  "  and  if  you 
believe  in  Him  He  will  save  you."  So  the  conversation  went 
on  until  at  last  the  poor  heathen  woman  resolved  to  give  up 
heathenism  and  embrace  Christianity.  She  became  a  regular 
attendant  at  church  and  a  consistent  believer. 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        339 

There  is  something  very  admirable  in  the  courage 
and  constancy  of  these  converts  of  Onitsha,  quite 
worthy  to  be  mentioned  by  the  side  of  the  Delta 
martyrs.  After  the  bombardment  and  the  transfer 
of  the  mission  to  Asaba  on  the  other  side,  many  still 
refused  to  go,  and  remained  at  great  peril  to  their 
lives.  The  church  and  mission  premises  had  been 
plundered  and  burnt,  windows  and  doors  carried  off 
as  loot,  and  when  the  shells  came  from  the  gunboats, 
the  place  became  a  pandemonium.  But  these  few 
faithful  Christians  did  not  desert  their  faith  in  its 
peril,  nor  turn  their  backs  upon  their  Saviour  because 
of  the  reign  of  terror  and  violence.  In  spite  of  all 
this  they  assembled  for  prayer  every  Lord's  Day, 
when  a  little  black  schoolboy  read  the  Liturgy,  and 
made  what  exposition  he  could  of  the  Scriptures  in 
place  of  a  sermon  !  The  church  was  a  wreck  and 
ready  to  tumble  down,  but  they  clung  to  it  as  the 
house  of  God,  and  had  good  times  sitting  on  rubbish 
heaps  in  place  of  the  seats  already  stolen  away.  Of 
course  some  fell  away,  and  even  relapsed  into  poly- 
gamy, as  a  kind  of  halfway  house  on  the  backward 
journey  ;  but  the  majority  stood  firm,  according  to 
the  light  they  possessed,  and  held  the  fort  of  faith. 

The  Bishop,  on  his  visitation,  found  many  oppor- 
tunities for  the  exercise  of  discipline,  and  tells  us 
that  at  Lokoja  especially  this  was  the  case.  There 
was  a  lack  of  true  spirituality  ;  many  of  the  immigrants 
from  Sierra  Leone  bringing  a  certain  profession  of 
Christianity  with  them,  without  much  power,  soon 
fell    into   a   deplorably   listless    and    formal    way   of 


340        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

worship.  Some  seemed  to  have  no  strength  to  resist 
the  deep  black  current  of  immorahty  which  flowed 
through  the  place.  It  is  better  to  draw  a  veil  over 
a  condition  of  things  which  has  been  sufficiently 
referred  to,  the  result,  it  must  be  confessed,  to  a  large 
extent,  of  the  introduction  of  a  civilization  minus 
Christianity. 

But  the  African  mind  is  constitutionally  optimistic. 
As  an  example  of  the  hopefulness  of  the  native  pastors 
when  preaching  to  their  flocks  about  the  future  re- 
demption of  Africa,  here  is  a  brief  quotation  from 
one  of  them,  the  Rev.  D.  G.  Williams,  of  Trinity 
Church,  Sierra  Leone.  He  has  taken  for  his  text 
"  Ethiopia  shall  stretch  forth  her  hands  to  God," 
and  has  spoken  of  Philip  and  the  eunuch.  With 
intense  earnestness  he  bewails  the  evils  which  beset 
his  native  land,  its  degradation  and  darkness  : 

Brethren,  I  am  aware  of  these  evils.  I  am  not  ignorant  of 
the  fact  that  the  enemies  of  Divine  revelation  make  use  of 
them  to  justify  their  unwarranted  assumption  that  we  were 
doomed  to  perpetual  ignorance  and  blindness.  And  yet, 
taking  my  stand  by  the  Scriptures  of  the  inspired  Word,  and 
resting  on  the  promises  of  God,  which  are  as  immovable  as 
the  everlasting  hills,  I  maintain,  without  fear  of  opposition, 
that  this  land  of  pagan  darkness  shall  yet  be  won  for  Christ. 

That  these  untutored  heathen  tribes, 

A  dark,  bewildered  race, 
Shall  sit  down  at  Immanuel's  feet, 

And  have  and  feel  His  Grace. 

For  the  hope  of  Africa's  future  regeneration  rests  on  the 
living  God.  Hence  exclaimed  the  sainted  Latimer  Neville, 
himself  a  pioneer  missionary,  to  the  Pongas  heathen,  not- 
withstanding the  difficulties  which  stared  him  full  in  the  face  : 
"  I  am  as  certain  of  the  conversion  of  Africa  to  God  as  I  am 
of  the  rising  of  the  sun  to-morrow  morning." 

With  similar  confidence  the  Hon.  William  Grant  declared 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        341 

of  the  negro  :    "I  believe  in  his  restoration  from  barbarism 
and  heathenism' to  Christianity  and  civiUzation." 

That  our  Lord  during  His  infancy  should  have  found 
shelter  in  Egypt  from  the  cruel  edict  of  a  relentless  king 
might  be  favourably  interpreted  with  regard  to  the  land  of 
Ham.  Simon  the  Cyrenean,  who  aided  the  Saviour  in  bearing 
His  cross,  and  Simeon  that  was  called  Niger,  one  of  the 
dignitaries  of  the  early  Church  in  Antioch  (being  Africans), 
might  also  be  viewed  as  representatives  of  innumerable  per- 
sons, sons  of  Africa,  who  may  yet  bear  the  cross  and  despise 
the  shame  for  Jesus'  sake. 

He  then  speaks  of  the  inestimable  value  of  Holy 
Scripture,  and  how  God  has  at  sundry  times  and  in 
divers  places  spoken  to  the  world  by  prophet  and 
seer  : 

Equally  important  is  the  voice  of  the  living  missionary  in 
the  present  day.  From  that  voice  sounds  out  the  Word  of 
the  Lord  to  distant  lands  ;  to  that  voice  the  heathen  listens 
to  catch  the  sweet  message  of  a  Saviour's  love  ;  beneath  that 
voice  multitudes  sit  and  find  refreshment  to  their  souls. 
Hence  it  is  that  missionary  societies  attach  so  much  impor- 
tance to  the  living  agents  they  send  abroad.  It  is  because  they 
feel  that  prayer  alone  would  not  suffice.  Even  the  Bible  and 
prayer,  valuable  and  indispensable  as  they  are,  will  not  do. 
There  must  be  the  united  agency  of  prayer,  the  Bible,  and 
the  preacher,  like  a  threefold  cord  not  easily  broken.  Well 
may  we  seek  out  properly  qualified  men  for  the  work  of  the 
Lord  in  every  land — teachers  who  are  not  only  bathed  in  a 
stream  of  classic  lore  and  are  masters  of  the  abstract  sciences, 
but  are  also  bathed  in  the  fountain  that  flows  from  beneath 
the  throne  of  God,  and  are  masters  of  the  science  of  salvation 
and  the  art  of  holy  living,  and  adorned  with  the  beauty  of 
holiness.  We  indulge  in  no  Utopian  dream,  we  entertain  no 
wild  and  visionary  idea  when  we  aver  that  Africa's  future 
may  yet  be  more  glorious  than  the  past  if  God  will.  The 
attention  of  the  civilized  world  that  is  now  being  directed  to 
it,  the  openings  in  the  East,  and  the  invitation  in  the  centre 
may  all  be  regarded  as  a  voice  from  heaven,  saying  :  "  Arise, 
shine,  for  thy  light  is  come."  The  time  to  save  Africa  ;  yea, 
the  time  is  come  ! 


342        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

On  one  occasion  the  Bishop,  accompanied  by  his 
son,  the  present  Archdeacon,  visited  a  powerful  chief 
named  Alumi,  who  Hved  in  a  town  seven  miles  up 
the  river  from  Benin.  The  object  of  the  journey  was 
to  secure  some  premises  for  a  mission  station,  which 
buildings  had  been  hitherto  used  for  trading  purposes. 
They  had  to  paddle  the  native  canoe  through  the 
narrow  and  dangerous  creek  in  a  heavy  storm  of  rain 
and  flashes  of  lightning,  the  thunder  crashing  above 
and  echoing  in  the  dark  forest  close  by.  Eventually, 
however,  they  reached  the  great  man's  hut,  and  as  he 
boasted  the  luxury  of  a  table  they  were  entertained 
with  a  supper  of  "  palm  oil  chop,"  and  after  this  repast 
they  squatted  on  the  ground  and  commenced  the 
palaver.  The  quick  eye  of  the  Bishop  noticed  how 
fitful  the  light  was,  now  dull  almost  to  darkness, 
then  blazing  up  quite  brightly.  This  he  discovered 
was  because  the  lamp  was  of  a  most  primitive  char- 
acter, simply  broken  bits  of  calabashes  used  for 
years  in  carrying  oil,  and  therefore  well  saturated 
therewith,  cut  into  small  pieces,  and  stuck  on  an 
arrangement  resembling  a  saucepan  lid.  Several 
naked  boys  were  told  off  to  keep  this  illumination  in 
good  order,  dipping  the  bits  in  fresh  oil  to  awaken  the 
light  when  it  drooped.  Sometimes  these  lads  would 
forget  their  duty,  and  an  elder  chief  would  shout 
sharply,  "  Alupa,"  meaning  lamp,  with  sundry  dashes 
at  the  forgetful  youngsters  to  administer  chastisement. 

After  resting  awhile  and  talking  about  everything 
else,  according  to  African  custom,  the  Bishop  broached 
the  subject  of  the  premises,  and  then  the  chief  called 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        343 

his  visitors  into  an  inner  court,  with  one  of  his  sons, 
who  talked  EngHsh  pretty  well.  The  Bishop  re- 
minded his  host  of  certain  promises  he  had  made  for 
a  mission  and  a  school  where  the  children  might  be 
taught  the  white  man's  book.  At  the  suggestion  of 
books  the  chief  showed  a  spirit  of  reluctance,  saying  : 
"  Book  palaver  will  not  do  for  Sekeri  people  "  (this  is 
the  proper  name  of  the  people  inhabiting  Benin  River  ; 
Benin  proper  is  some  days'  journey  inland) ;  "  that  they 
will  not  wish  to  get  their  hands  dirty,  will  get  lazy, 
and  will  not  work  after  knowing  book."  The  other 
younger  son,  sitting  close  by,  added  that  their  custom 
of  kneeling  before  a  father  or  elder  will  be  done  away 
with  when  book  is  taught,  and  shaking  of  hands  will 
be  substituted,  while  such  an  impertinent  act  from 
a  younger  to  an  elder  is  criminal  in  Sekeri,  and  is 
accompanied  by  death. 

The  Bishop  hstened  patiently  to  this  opposition 
to  education,  and  then  quietly  took  up  their  ob- 
jections one  by  one.  He  wanted  to  know  why  the 
Sekeri  people  are  supposed  to  be  different  from  other 
folks  in  the  world,  as,  for  instance,  Lagos,  Niger, 
Brass,  New  Calabar,  and  Bonny  people  ;  for  if  the 
teaching  of  God's  Word  and  the  knowledge  of  book 
were  good  things  for  them,  why  not  the  same  for 
those  at  Benin  River  ?  Trade,  he  observed,  seemed 
in  their  opinion  to  be  good  for  them,  as  for  other 
nations  and  tribes.  Then  as  to  the  charge  of  their 
being  made  lazy,  the  opposite  is  proved  to  be  true  ; 
book  knowledge  makes  men  more  active — as,  for 
instance,  the  Bishop  asked  Chief  Alumi  who  are  those 


344        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

who  manufacture  cloths,  silks,  which  are  brought 
up  these  rivers  for  sale  ?  Are  they  not  made  by  the 
book  people  ?  Who  are  those  who  plant  wheat  and 
corn  for  bread,  make  biscuits,  kill  bullocks  which  are 
salted,  and  the  various  eatables  brought  here  and  to 
other  rivers  in  great  quantities,  and  sold  to  them  ? 
Who  are  the  workers  of  all  these  but  people  of  book 
knowledge,  and  are  these  things  signs  of  a  lazy 
people  ?  Further,  he  went  on  to  say  that  some  of  the 
richest  people  in  England  are  farmers  who  had  been 
toiling  with  sleeves  rolled  up  and  with  dirty  hands  in 
working  and  turning  up  the  ground.  Then,  by  a 
happy  thought,  the  Bishop  suggested  the  English 
engineers  in  steamers,  and  asked  the  chief  which 
Sekeri  man  is  more  dirty  and  as  hard  a  workman  as 
an  engineer  from  the  engine-room,  with  black,  oily 
hands,  and  oftentimes  face  :  and  can  an  ignorant  man 
"  make  ship  move  "  ? 

Then  turning  to  the  younger  son  about  shaking 
hands,  the  Bishop  told  him  that  the  Bible  taught 
the  young  obedience  to  elders,  more  than  Sekeri 
people  ever  knew,  and  that  the  Bible  will  not  interfere 
with  such  customs  as  those,  that  they  will  find  in 
course  of  time  that  those  who  know  what  is  in  the 
Bible  are  sincere  in  their  obedience  inwardly,  and 
not  outwardly  through  fearing  death. 

The  chief  could  not  gainsay  this  reasoning,  but  found 
another  excuse,  explaining  that  "  he  did  not  exactly 
mean  to  say  that  Sekeri  people  were  incapable  of 
learning,  but  that  those  who  had  been  sent  to  know 
book    die    away,    and    are    never    seen    again."     To 


STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS        345 

support  this  extraordinary  statement  he  gave  in- 
stances of  boys  going  to  Liverpool  and  Portugal  who 
never  came  back,  so,  said  he,  "  if  a  mission  be  es- 
tablished to  teach  all  Sekeri  people,  their  time  on 
earth  will  be  Hmited,  especially  old  men  such  as  he  is  ; 
that  he  had  better  wait  after  this  generation  of  old 
men  has  passed,  then  the  young  people  can  do  what 
they  like." 

In  spite  of  all  the  Bishop  could  say,  it  was  evident 
that  a  superstitious  fear  of  death  was  at  the  bottom 
of  the  chief's  objection.  He  stood  firm,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  the  visitors  stayed  far  into  the  night, 
and  afterwards  in  the  darkness  rowed  back  down  the 
creek  and  river  unsuccessful.  "  With  a  parting 
'  good  night,'  which  ought  rightly  to  be  '  good  morn- 
ing,' we  turned  into  bed,  but  not  before  asking  the 
God  of  missions  to  open  in  His  good  time  the  dark 
eyes  of  the  heathen,  to  bless  and  strengthen  our  weak 
effort  of  that  night,  to  the  extension  and  glory  of  the 
Redeemer's  name." 

The  Bishop,  in  writing  to  his  "  brethren  and  fellow- 
labourers  "  from  the  mission  house.  Bonny,  on  26 
February,  1883,  after  speaking  of  the  good  way  the 
Lord  had  brought  him  hitherto,  tells  what  has  been 
specially  his  prayer  and  heart's  desire  in  the  work  on 
the  Niger  : 

In  addition  to  the  above-mentioned  advantages,  I  have  been 
blessed  with  unbroken  health  ;  that  I  have  not  been  laid  aside 
any  day,  week,  month,  or  year  from  pursuing  my  duty,  which 
is  a  rare  blessing,  with  many  other  privileges  granted  to  me, 
for  which  I  cannot  feel  that  I  have  exerted  myself  enough  to 
make  adequate  return  by  making  myself  more  useful  in  God's 


346        STORM  CLOUDS  AND  SUNBEAMS 

service  for  the  evangelization  of  my  ignorant  countrymen. 
Whatever  success  God  has  been  pleased  to  grant  to  our  feeble 
and  imperfect  efforts,  you,  my  fellow-labourers  in  the  mission, 
are  eye-witnesses.  To  God  be  all  the  honour  and  praise.  He 
is  fulfilling  His  own  promise  :  "  The  Gentiles  shall  come  to 
the  light,  and  kings  to  the  brightness  of  Thy  rising." 

During  my  missionary  labours  in  the  Niger  Mission  I  have 
often  ventured  to  make  two  timid  requests  in  prayer  to  the 
God  of  missions,  which  I  sometimes  fear  may  savour  of  selfish- 
ness. One  is  like  to  that  of  Caleb,  made  to  Joshua  for  the 
mountainous  countries  of  Palestine,  but  with  spiritual  applica- 
tion, when  he  said  :  "  Thou  knowest  the  thing  that  the  Lord 
said  unto  Moses  the  man  of  God  concerning  me  and  thee  in 
Kadesh-barnea.  Forty  years  old  was  I  when  Moses  the  ser- 
vant of  the  Lord  sent  me  from  Kadesh-barnea  to  espy  out 
the  land  ;  and  I  brought  him  word  again  as  it  was  in  mine 
heart.  .  .  .  And  Moses  sware  on  that  day,  saying.  Surely  the 
land  whereon  thy  feet  have  trodden  shall  be  thine  inheritance, 
and  thy  children's  for  ever,  because  thou  hast  wholly  followed 
the  Lord  my  God.  ,  .  ."  (Joshua  xiv.  6-13).  I  have  quoted 
the  passage  at  length  to  call  your  attention  to  it  for  reference. 

The  mountain  prayed  for  to  be  given  is  the  countries  of 
the  Niger  territory,  visited  forty  years  ago,  in  1841.  The 
cities  great  and  fenced  are  the  strongholds  of  Mohammedanism 
and  heathenism,  fenced  with  deluding  religions  and  strong 
shackles  of  slave  system.  If  so  be,  the  Lord  will  be  with  us  ; 
then  we  shall  be  able  to  possess  the  land  for  our  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ. 

The  second  subject  of  prayer  is  that  in  all  the  stations 
already  established  good  and  substantial  places  of  worship 
may  be  erected  for  the  permanent  uses  of  the  converts  before 
I  be  laid  aside,  that  my  successors  may  not  be  crippled  on 
this  head,  to  put  into  operation  the  most  desirable  system  of 
self-support  in  the  mission. 


CHAPTER    XI 

IN   THE   CRUCIBLE   AND   AT   REST 

THE  closing  decade  of  the  Bishop's  long  career 
was  marked  by  turbulence  and  shadowed  by 
suffering.  It  is  sometimes  granted  to  those  who 
go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  after  battling  with  many 
storms,  to  return  in  fair  weather,  gliding  along  the 
familiar  home  waters  in  unruffled  calm,  beneath 
sunny  skies.  But  it  was  not  thus  with  the  Bishop. 
He  had  faced  many  a  tempest,  steered  clear  of  hidden 
and  perilous  reefs,  and  might  have  reasonably  trusted 
that  as  the  end  of  the  voyage  drew  nearer  he,  too, 
might  make  the  harbour  on  a  tranquil  day.  The 
great  Disposer  of  his  life  and  ours  had,  however, 
otherwise  ordained,  and  before  the  abundant  entrance 
was  vouchsafed  to  this  brave  veteran  mariner,  the 
clouds  were  to  darken  and  billows  of  worry  and  dis- 
appointment threaten  his  peace. 

He  was  already  full  of  years  and  growing  a  little 
weary,  although  no  one  could  detect  any  diminution 
in  his  incessant  labours  and  selfless  zeal.  Across  his 
immense  diocese  the  mission  stations  on  the  Niger 
were  dotted  at  wide  distances,  and  before  the  little 

347 


348       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

steamer,  the  Henry  Venn,  was  dispatched  from 
England  for  his  service,  he  could  only  reach  these 
places  at  such  intervals  as  the  passing  trading  ships 
would  allow.  This,  too,  as  we  have  seen,  was  an 
intermittent  quantity,  for  the  accident  of  an  outrage 
would  cause  a  political  isolation  of  the  river  for  a 
considerable  time.  And  even  with  the  advantage 
of  this  little  mission  craft,  which  had  to  carry  freight 
to  pay  expenses,  he  found  the  work  of  supervision 
exceedingly  difficult  with  all  his  labours,  his  patience, 
and  his  pains.  He  said  little  about  these  troubles 
and  difficulties,  for  he  was  not  the  man  to  wear  his 
heart  upon  his  sleeve,  but  the  fact  remains,  as  we 
have  already  seen  in  his  history,  that  few  men  could 
more  adequately  reahze  the  trials  of  the  great  Apostle 
to  the  Gentiles  as  regards  tribulations,  for  he  was 
literally  in  journeyings  often,  in  perils  of  waters,  in 
perils  of  his  own  countrymen,  in  perils  of  the  heathen, 
in  weariness  and  painfulness,  in  watchings  often,  in 
hunger  and  thirst,  in  fastings  often,  in  cold  and 
nakedness,  and  beside  these  things  which  are  without 
that  which  came  daily  upon  him,  the  care  of  all  the 
churches.  And  apart  from  the  shepherding  of  the 
flock,  he  had  personal  cares  not  a  few. 

One  of  the  deepest  sorrows  of  his  fife  was  the  death 
of  Mrs.  Crowther,  which  occurred  at  Lagos  on  19 
October,  1880.  In  an  earlier  chapter  of  this  book 
their  happy  courtship  and  marriage  were  duly  re- 
corded. It  will  be  remembered  how  they  were  brought 
into  touch  as  mere  boy  and  girl;  both  had  suffered 
slavery  and  tasted  the  sweets  of  liberation,  and  they 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       3^0 

had  bloomed  together  in  the  genial  atmosphere  of  the 
same  Christian  home.  In  the  years  of  married  hfe 
which  followed  they  had  been  everything  to  each 
other.  A  missionary's  wife  has  always  to  make 
many  sacrifices,  and  during  the  time  when  her  husband 
was  on  his  long  journeys  as  explorer  and  as  Bishop, 
Mrs.  Crowther  felt  her  part  was  to  spare  him,  and 
faithfully  fulfil  the  not  less  sacred  ministry  of  home 
and  children.  And  so  it  happened  that  after  cele- 
brating their  golden  wedding  day,  she  was  taken  ill 
during  one  of  the  Bishop's  six  months'  visits  in  the 
Henry  Venn  to  the  Upper  Niger.  When  he  returned 
to  Lagos  it  was  to  find  his  faithful  helpmeet  at  the 
point  of  death.  "  It  was,"  he  said,  "  one  of  her 
earnest  wishes,  during  her  long  illness,  that  she  might 
die  in  my  arms,  and  this  was  granted  her,  though 
she  never  knew  it,  for  she  lay  unconscious  till  her 
death."  The  old  survivor  mourned  her  loss  with 
secret  tears,  and  went  about  his  work  again  with  his 
heart  in  heaven. 

A  few  years  later  another  blow  came  to  the  Bishop, 
when  his  venerable  mother  passed  away  at  Lagos.  She 
was  a  great  age,  reaching  nearly  a  century,  and  had 
shared  the  shelter  of  her  son's  roof  in  these  later  years. 
The  Bishop  was  absent  when  her  call  came,  but  one 
who  stood  by  her  deathbed  afterwards  assured  him 
that  she  died  full  of  joy  to  go  to  the  Saviour.  In  a 
letter  which  the  Bishop  wrote  while  on  board  the  s.s. 
Qualaha,  on  6  February,  1884,  he  makes  the  following 
touching  references  to  this  sad  event : 

During  my  absence  up  the  Niger  my  aged  mother  has  been 


350       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

called  to  her  rest  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-seven  years. 
We  have  much  cause  to  be  thankful  that  she  was  spared  to 
us  so  long  in  the  midst  of  so  many  adverse  changes  in  her 
course  of  life  and  family  circumstances,  to  be  at  last  brought 
to  know  the  Saviour  in  whom  she  placed  her  trust  as  her  Good 
Shepherd  to  the  end  of  her  life. 

When  after  twenty-five  years  of  separation  through  the 
violence  of  slave  war,  and  we  were  brought  together  again 
through  God's  good  providence  at  Abeokuta  in  1846,  and  I 
told  her  that  she  must  not  expect  that  I  should  be  stationary 
at  home  with  her  as  other  members  of  the  family  would  do, 
because  I  was  a  travelling  pubhc  servant,  her  reply  was  : 
"  You  are  no  longer  my  son,  but  the  servant  of  God,  whose 
work  you  must  attend  unto  without  any  anxiety  for  me  ;  it 
is  enough  that  I  am  pernutted  to  see  you  once  more  in  this 
world." 

To  this  resolution  she  kept  to  the  last. 

When  she  was  on  her  dying  bed  at  Lagos  in  October  last, 
1883,  she  told  Mrs.  Macaulay,  her  granddaughter,  who  was 
attending  her,  as  follows  : 

"  lya  [mother]  warned  me  not  to  write  and  tell  you  of  her 
state  then,  for  fear  of  perplexing  your  mind  ;  she  said  to  me  : 
'  Will  you  not  tell  him  what  took  place  afterwards  ?  Are  you 
afraid  ?  '  I  replied  :  '  I  am  not  afraid.'  Then  she  said  to  me  : 
'  You  are  as  good  as  your  father's  being  at  home  ;  keep  near 
to  me,  you  have  a  great  work  to  do.'  "  This  was  the  last 
account  I  received  of  her  about  me,  when  not  many  days  after 
she  entered  into  her  everlasting  rest.  I  state  this  that  you 
may  know  what  value  she  placed  on  my  missionary  work 
among  our  heathen  countrymen. 

In  recording  these  bereavements  it  would  be  the 
Bishop's  wish  that  a  word  might  be  added  about 
the  loss  he  sustained  by  the  death  of  his  old  friend 
and  fellow-traveUer,  the  Rev.  J.  F.  Schon,  in  1889. 
To  him  he  owed  his  first  recommendation  to  missionary 
work.  He  had  been  as  a  father  to  the  young  African 
when  his  friends  were  few.  Apart  from  his  association 
with  the  Bishop,  Frederick  Schon  was  a  missionary 
of  a  very  high  order,  with  great  attainments  and  whole- 


TN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       351 

hearted  consecration  to  his  work.  His  translations  of 
the  Scriptures  would  alone  perpetuate  his  name,  and 
those  who  knew  him  well  will  concur  in  Dr.  Cust's 
estimate  of  his  labours  when  he  says,  "  The  new  Chris- 
tians will  know  nothing  of  this  good  and  holy  man 
who  paved  the  way  for  their  salvation  ;  but  his  name 
will  be  recorded  in  the  Book  of  Life  as  the  servant 
who  only  closed  his  labours  for  his  Master  when  he 
ceased  to  breathe."  When  Frederick  Schon  passed, 
the  Church  Missionary  Society  placed  on  record 
that  "  he  was  called  away  in  the  very  midst  of  his 
labours,  having  been  occupied  within  a  few  days  of 
his  death  in  the  correction  of  proof  sheets  of  his  own 
translation  in  Hausa,  of  the  Book  of  Common  Prayer." 
Besides  these  personal  losses  there  lay  upon  the 
Bishop's  heart  the  shadow  of  increasing  care  and 
anxiety  about  the  state  of  his  diocese.  As  the  de- 
moralization of  native  character  on  the  Niger  at 
this  time  became  a  topic  of  sufficient  importance 
to  demand  an  inquiry,  it  is  only  just  to  draw  at- 
tention again  to  the  powerful  agencies  which  were 
at  work,  and  may  be  in  some  degree  responsible 
for  this  declension.  In  a  previous  chapter  attention 
has  been  drawn  to  the  frightful  desolation  caused 
by  the  introduction  into  West  Africa  of  strong  drink. 
Drunkenness  was  one  of  the  counts  of  the  indict- 
ment brought  against  these  native  Christians,  a  sin 
not  to  be  palliated  either  in  Lokoja  or  London,  but 
it  is  not  surprising  that  amongst  these  weaker 
brethren,  fresh  from  heathenism,  facing  for  the  first 
time  the  white  man's  conquering  enemy,  some  should 


352       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

stumble.  Then  on  the  score  of  immoraUty,  have 
the  natives  been  altogether  to  blame  ?  There  are 
Europeans,  doubtless  of  unimpeachable  character, 
who  in  the  walks  of  commerce,  civil  and  mihtary  Hfe, 
are  a  credit  to  the  Christian  country  from  which  they 
have  come.  But  others  do  not  set  a  good  example, 
and  the  character  and  fair  name  of  Christianity  is 
blasted  by  the  inconsistency  of  men,  who,  free  from 
the  controlhng  influence  of  pubhc  opinion,  make  the 
natives  feel,  not  only  in  West  Africa  either,  that  the 
white  man  in  some  respects  is  quite  as  much  a  heathen 
as  themselves.  Any  missionary  will  confirm  this, 
although  it  is  not  a  difficulty  which  takes  the  promi- 
nence it  deserves,  in  justice  to  the  native  races. 

Another  injurious  element  affecting  the  Niger 
Mission,  although  not  an  evil  in  any  way  comparable 
to  those  already  referred  to,  was  the  inordinate  love 
of  trading,  which  became  indeed  a  passion  with  the 
native  coming  fresh  in  touch  with  the  outside  market 
of  the  world.  In  this  respect  the  African  is  no  better 
or  worse  than  any  other  human  being,  given  the  same 
environment.  The  Bishop  has  shown  us  in  his  frank 
manner  how  cunningly  the  native  can  battle  in  com- 
petition for  commodities,  not  in  themselves  harmful, 
and  how  easily  he  gets  into  the  current  of  smart  bar- 
gaining. Possibly  practice  with  European  adepts 
in  the  art  of  good  business  has  sharpened  his  wits 
a  fittle,  and  he  has  learnt  his  lesson  only  too  well. 
With  wise  foresight  the  Church  Missionary  Society 
bound  over  all  their  agents  and  preachers  not  to 
engage  in  trading  of  any  sort,  a  very  necessary  stipu- 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       353 

lation  which  required  something  more  than  moral 
courage  to  respect  and  obey  in  the  face  of  kicrative 
chances  of  doing  this  sub  rosa.  And  in  this  direction, 
as  far  as  his  knowledge  and  control  extended,  the 
Bishop  kept  his  clergy  well  within  the  four  corners 
of  their  bond.  Any  infraction  of  this  rule  would 
clearly  be  detrimental  to  the  true  interests  of  the  work, 
and  also  provoke  jealousy  among  the  trading  com- 
munity, as  creating  an  unfair  competition  in  the  sphere 
of  business.  These,  then,  were  some  of  the  perils 
which  beset  the  mission,  and  in  varying  degrees  of 
complicity  led  to  strong  measures  of  disciphne  in 
some  cases. 

The  stormy  weather  which  was  in  store  for  the 
devoted  Niger  mission  began  to  manifest  itself  by 
disquieting  rumours  which  reached  the  ears  of  the 
committee  in  Salisbury  Square  from  travellers  and 
traders  who  had  visited  those  regions.  These  be- 
came so  serious  that  it  was  impossible  to  disregard 
them,  and  it  was  therefore  arranged  that  a  committee, 
composed  of  the  Bishop,  three  European  missionaries, 
the  two  native  Archdeacons,  and  others,  should  meet 
at  Lagos  to  discuss  the  situation.  Their  report, 
written  by  the  Rev.  J.  B.  Wood,  a  missionary  of 
experience  and  judgment,  showed  an  unfavourable 
state  of  affairs,  and  soon  after  its  receipt  in  London 
it  was  naturally  referred  back  to  the  Bishop  for  his 
consideration  and  comments.  It  was  quite  an  un- 
foreseen and  pathetic  coincidence  that  it  reached 
Lagos  at  the  time  of  Mrs.  Crowther's  death  in  October, 
1880. 


354       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

When  in  the  following  year  the  lay  secretary 
of  the  Society  and  the  Rev.  J.  Bradford  Whiting 
were  sent  out  to  Madeira  to  meet  the  Bishop  and 
others  there,  the  various  allegations  against  the 
native  agents  were  carefully  discussed.  It  was  then 
resolved  that  it  would  be  a  great  advantage  to  the 
w^ork  on  the  Niger  if  an  English  clergyman  could  come 
out  to  assist  the  Bishop  as  secretary  to  the  mission, 
and  the  Rev.  T.  Phillips,  who  had  received  ordination 
at  his  hands,  entered  upon  this  arduous  duty  ;  but 
in  nine  months  he  returned  home  again,  and  upon 
his  recommendation  several  of  the  native  agents  on 
the  Niger  were  dismissed.  It  is  not  difficult  to  realize 
how  all  these  changes  and  acts  of  necessary  discipline 
upset  the  mind  of  the  Bishop,  especially  feeling 
that  so  much  inconsistency  on  the  part  of  the  native 
agents  reflected  upon  the  supervision  which  he,  as 
Bishop,  had  striven  so  hard  to  maintain.  He  had 
done  his  best,  but  he  was  conscious  that  it  was  a 
physical  impossibility  for  him,  apart  altogether  from 
the  question  of  his  advancing  years,  to  visit  the  stations 
of  the  Upper  Niger  more  frequently. 

The  trouble  which  was  exercising  the  minds  of 
the  workers  and  supporters,  both  at  home  and  on 
the  Niger,  was  immensely  aggravated  at  this  juncture 
by  the  publication  in  EngUsh  journals,  copied  from 
native  sources,  of  a  shocking  scandal — nothing  short 
of  murder,  under  brutal  circumstances,  of  a  girl  by 
two  native  agents  of  the  Society  at  Onitsha.  The 
central  secretary,  Mr.  Sutton,  wTote  immediately  a 
public   disclaimer,    explaining   that   the   persons   im- 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       355 

plicated  were  not  then  connected  with  the  work, 
one  having  been  dismissed  by  the  Bishop  three  years 
before,  and  the  other  had  since  withdrawn.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  offence,  grave  as  it  was,  had  been 
committed  five  years  before,  and  its  reappearance 
at  this  time  was  due  to  the  firm  action  of  the  Rev.  J.  B. 
Wood,  who  having  discovered  the  offence  insisted, 
at  any  cost,  upon  the  guilty  parties  being  punished. 
A  tempest  of  criticism  and  blame  had,  however,  been 
evoked  at  home,  and  the  opportunity  well  served 
some  individuals  to  make  an  attack  upon  missions 
generally,  and  the  Niger  mission  in  particular.  The 
secretary,  however,  put  the  case  effectively  in  the 
following  words,  which  deserve  quotation,  as  they 
refer  to  the  difficulties  on  the  Niger,  apart  from  the 
specific  charge  : 

A  case  like  this,  we  need  hardly  say,  is  in  reality  no  argu- 
ment against  missions.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  an  additional 
proof,  if  proof  were  needed,  of  the  necessity  of  missions  and 
of  working  them  vigorously  and  without  stint.  Christianity 
at  home  does  not  prevent  crime,  nor  is  Christianity  in  Africa 
likely  to  do  so  in  the  present  dispensation.  But  individuals 
may  be  saved  from  falling,  and  if  the  means  at  the  committee's 
disposal  had  enabled  them  to  give  more  support  to  Bishop 
Crowther  in  his  arduous  undertaking,  and  in  particular  if  the 
Henry  Venn  steamer,  which  has  made  frequent  inspection  of 
the  stations  so  much  easier,  had  been  provided  some  years 
earlier,  it  may  be  that  individual  agents  might  have  been 
rescued  in  time  from  the  temptations  with  which  the  great 
enemy  has  so  persistently  beset  them. 

Much  on  the  same  lines  was  a  strong  article  in  the 
"  African  Times,"  pubhshed  in  England,  but  simply 
a  trade  journal,  without  any  association  with  mis- 


356       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

sionary    societies.     The    concluding    words    of    this 
journaHstic  defender  of  Christian  missions  are  these  : 

Finally,  we  would  say  to  the  Church  Missionary  Society  : 
"  Be  not  discouraged  because  human  wisdom  is  fallible.  You 
have  in  the  ranks  of  your  native  teachers  men  who  are  work- 
ing as  zealously  and  as  purely  for  their  Lord  and  Master  as 
any,  even  the  most  faithful,  of  the  ministry  in  the  favoured 
kingdom  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland.  You  have  scattered 
seed  in  Western  Africa  which  will,  by  the  continual  blessing 
of  the  great  Head  of  the  Church,  produce  a  glorious  harvest. 

The  value  of  such  a  testimony  at  a  time  of  trial 
like  this  may  be  appreciated  when  it  is  remembered 
that  on  12  April,  1883,  the  Duke  of  Somerset  made 
the  incident  the  occasion  for  a  violent  attack  upon 
the  Church  Missionary  Society  in  the  House  of  Lords, 
which  drew  from  Earl  Cairns  and  Dr.  Benson,  the 
newly-elected  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  a  defence 
which  will  be  memorable. 

While  these  contrary  winds  of  criticism  and  cross 
currents  of  difficulty  were  giving  so  much  anxiety 
at  home,  it  is  not  surprising  that  at  the  scene  of 
operations  on  the  banks  of  the  Niger  the  trouble 
was  equally  distressing.  The  Bishop  had  been  in 
England  the  year  before,  conferring  with  the  committee 
and  labouring  hard  to  settle  on  a  satisfactory  basis 
the  perplexing  problems  of  his  diocese.  And  now, 
back  again  at  his  work,  with  this  fresh  clamour  in 
his  ears,  and  a  burdened  heart,  he  hurried  from  station 
to  station,  cheering,  admonishing,  and  blessing  his 
little  flock.  Archdeacon  Henry  Johnson  meanwhile 
was  hard  at  work  on  the  Upper  Niger,  sometimes  at 
Lokoja  preaching  to  a  crowd  of  mixed  nationalities, 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       357 

with  four  different  interpreters  at  his  side.  His 
remarkable  facility  in  mastering  the  various  languages 
proved  a  great  advantage  to  the  mission. 

It  was  felt  that  his  hands  would  be  much 
strengthened  if  a  medical  mission  could  be  established 
at  or  near  Lokoja,  and  a  young  qualified  man,  Dr. 
Percy  Brown,  came  out  from  England  and  started 
a  dispensary,  doing  good  service  in  this  direction. 
But  the  healing  ministry  of  this  young  missionary  of 
so  much  promise  was  destined  to  be  short-lived.  The 
African  fever  laid  him  low ;  around  his  prostrate  form 
stood  a  crowd  of  natives,  his  own  patients,  watching 
with  pity  and  wonderment  the  white  man,  who  could 
heal  others,  so  sick  and  overcome  with  weakness  him- 
self. 

He  was  lifted  on  board  the  next  vessel  saiHng 
for  England,  but  died  on  his  way  home,  and  was 
committed  to  the  watery  deep  until  that  great  day 
when  the  sea  shall  give  up  its  dead.  The  sweet 
simplicity  of  this  young  doctor's  manner  had  endeared 
him  to  his  sorrowing  patients.  One  of  them  was  a 
convert  at  Ghebe,  and  continued  for  years  a  consistent 
member  of  the  church  at  Lokoja.  Upon  this  man 
Dr.  Percy  Brown  had  performed  a  difficult  but  quite 
successful  operation,  and  had  personally  nursed  him 
afterwards,  until  he  was  able  to  resume  his  usual 
work.  In  token  of  his  gratitude  he  used  to  come 
every  morning  to  the  doctor's  door,  bringing  fresh 
water  and  firewood.  On  hearing  of  the  death  of 
his  benefactor  and  friend  this  poor  man  was  heart- 
broken.    This  pathetic  failure  of  a  brave  attempt  to 


358       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

start  a  needed  branch  of  the  mission  was  a  misfortune 
to  workers  and  natives  aUke. 

The    Bishop    was    much    cheered   when    the    Rev. 
James   Hamilton  consented,  under  these   trying   cir- 
cumstances,   to    go    out    to    the    Niger    and    act  in 
place  of  Mr.  PhilHps,  who  had  been  invahded  home. 
The  new  secretary   was    an   old   and   valued   Sierra 
Leone    missionary,    who    understood   the    nature    of 
the    native    work,    and    had    retired    for    a    time, 
working   as   Association   Secretary   in   England.     He 
entered  upon  his  duties  with  tact  and  delicacy  of 
feeling,  travelled  with  his  old  friend  the  Bishop  from 
place  to  place,  holding  courts  of  inquiry,  and,  where 
necessary,  dismissing  any  agents  against  whom  the 
evidence  was  sufficient  to  warrant  such  acts  of  dis- 
cipline.    He  seems  to  have  grasped  the  difficulties, 
and   found   the   Bishop   always   ready   to   concur   in 
any    suggestion    for    improvement    and    the    better 
supervision  of  the  work.     For  a  time  all  things  were 
working  well ;   a  new  Henry  Venn  was  built  and  sent 
out  to  take  the  place  of  the  old  vessel,  which  had 
ceased  to  be  of  any  value,  and  an  English  builder  had 
also  brought  out  to  the  Niger  some  valuable  practical 
experience  in  that  line. 

Archdeacon  Henry  Johnson  being  in  England 
in  1885,  the  University  of  Cambridge  conferred  upon 
him  the  honorary  degree  of  M.A.,  in  recognition  of 
his  hnguistic  attainments.  Before  returning  to  his 
work  on  the  Niger  he  confirmed  a  report  he  had  sent 
on  the  state  of  things  there,  pointing  out  how  very 
difficult   it  was   to  conduct  its  operations  with  any 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       359 

measure  of  success  with  such  a  weakened  and 
diminished  staff  of  workers.  Still  he  said  he  was 
sanguine  of  the  ultimate  result. 

"  If  the  mission,"  said  he,  "  was  established  by 
the  will  of  God,  if  the  work  is  His,  as  we  have  no  doubt 
that  it  is,  if  it  is  His  desire  that  it  should  continue  to 
be  carried  on  for  the  benefit  of  the  tribes  along  the 
banks  of  the  Niger,  as  we  may  conclude  from  what 
He  is  now  achieving  by  His  weakest  instruments, 
then  surely  we  are  bound  to  beheve  that  without 
doubt  He  will  thrust  forth  labourers  into  this  His  own 
harvest  field." 

On  the  appointment  of  the  Rev.  James  Hamilton 
to  be  Archdeacon  of  Lagos,  in  1887,  he  was  succeeded 
by  the  Rev.  J.  A.  Robinson  as  new  EngHsh  secretary, 
who  subsequently  joined  Mr.  Graham  Wilmot  Brooke 
and  others  in  a  new  departure,  whereby  an  attempt 
was  to  be  made  to  reach  the  Hausas.  The  scheme 
was  an  original  one,  as  it  involved  the  missionary 
wearing  the  flowing  robe  and  turban  of  the  Mohamme- 
dan, and  both  Brooke  and  Robinson  wished  it  to  be 
understood  that  they  renounced  all  the  privileges 
of  their  British  nationahty  :  "If  they  imprison  us, 
the  British  Government  is  not  to  mterfere  ;  if  they 
kill  us,  no  reparation  must  be  demanded." 

Never,  perhaps,  did  any  missionary  party  go  away 
under  such  enthusiastic  and  hopeful  circumstances. 
At  the  crowded  valedictory  meeting  in  Exeter  Hall 
on  20  January,  1890,  the  Bishop  was  present,  and 
gave  them  his  blessing.  The  courage  and  devotion 
of  these  missionaries,  the  noble  and  ambitious  project 


36o       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

to  which  they  had  committed  themselves,  and  possibly 
the  fact  of  the  Niger  having  caused  so  much  anxiety 
hitherto,  all  combined  to  raise  the  highest  hopes  of 
success.  It  must  not,  however,  be  thought  that  this 
was  the  first  attempt  to  bring  the  Gospel  to  the  Hausas, 
for  the  Bishop  had  for  years  past  taken  every  oppor- 
tunity of  exploring  their  country,  having  undertaken, 
as  we  have  seen,  several  journeys  to  Bida,  and  his 
desire  had  always  been  to  push  on  as  far  as  Kano, 
and  establish  an  outpost  of  the  mission  there.  His 
special  interest  in  the  Mohammedans  marked  the 
growth  and  progress  of  all  his  work  on  the  Niger. 

But  this  new  venture  was  a  definite  enterprise, 
with  the  aim  of  reaching  them  on  new  lines  and 
methods.  The  journals  of  these  missionaries  are 
full  of  interest,  and  the  story  of  their  experiences, 
especially  among  the  Moslems,  is  a  striking  page  of 
missionary  history.  At  a  public  discussion  held  in  the 
open  air  at  Lokoja,  where  a  mixed  party  of  Moham- 
medans, comprising  Hausa,  Fulahi  from  Sokoto, 
Yorubas  from  Ilorin,  and  Hausa  traders  living  on  the 
spot,  the  missionary,  clad  in  flowing  white,  and  wear- 
ing the  turban,  sat  to  receive  them  in  Oriental  fashion, 
and  as  each  native  visitor  arrived  a  respectful  saluta- 
tion was  made  to  the  EngHshman,  sinking  down  upon 
one  knee  with  the  words,  "  Greeting,  scribe." 

The  adoption  of  native  costume  raised  many 
questions  among  the  Mohammedans  and  some  sus- 
picions. The  Governor  of  Egga,  upon  whom  the 
missionaries  caUed,  was  by  no  means  satisfied,  and 
demanded  to  know  what  secret  purpose  was  under- 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       361 

lying  this  strange  and  unusual  practice  for  a  white 
man.  The  answer  given  explains  the  position 
taken  up  by  these  new  missionaries  : 

We  came  into  the  country  (they  replied)  to  make  known 
the  work  of  our  Lord  Jesus,  the  Messiah,  whom  God  sent  down 
from  heaven  for  the  sake  of  the  whole  world  six  hundred 
years  before  Mohammed  began  writing  his  Koran.  We 
quickly  found  that  a  great  misconception  was  quite  universal. 
It  was  supposed  that  we  preach  the  white  man's  religion  for 
the  benefit  of  heathen  tribes,  but  that  Islam  was  the  proper 
religion  for  Hausas  and  Nupes.  It  is  not  so  ;  we  ourselves 
are  but  disciples,  and  you  must  obey  the  message  of  God  as 
well  as  we— it  cannot  be  annulled.  Therefore,  after  consulta- 
tion, we  have  resolved  to  put  off  our  own  dress  and  our  own 
customs,  which  are  in  no  wise  a  part  of  our  religion,  and  to 
adopt  yours,  in  order  that  when  you  see  us  pass  along  the 
streets  dressed  as  Hausa  you  may  remember  that  it  is  you — 
you  we  summon  to  submit  to  our  blessed  Lord,  who  is  coming 
again  from  heaven  to  reign  over  the  whole  earth. 

The  Governor  listened,  and  politely  said  good-bye, 
but  did  not  return  the  call  of  his  visitors.  Whether 
this  black  official  continued  to  care  for  none  of  these 
things,  except  presents,  history  does  not  relate. 

This  mission,  inaugurated  amid  so  much  enthusiasm, 
watched  by  home  friends  with  such  interest  and  hope- 
fuhiess,  was  doomed  to  failure.  After  a  manful 
struggle  against  attacks  of  fever,  one  by  one  the  workers 
were  invalided  home,  death  entered  the  ranks,  and, 
finally,  both  the  leading  spirits  and  pioneers  of  the 
expedition,  Mr.  Robinson  and  Mr.  Graham  Wilmot 
Brooke,  died. 

The  division  of  the  work  into  two  distinct  parts, 
the  Upper  Niger  and  Soudan  and  the  Lower  Niger, 
represented  by   the   Delta,   which   had  taken   place, 


362       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

although  nominally  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Bishop,  was  not  an  unmixed  advantage.  Very 
drastic  measures  of  reform  adopted  by  the  local 
committee  at  Lokoja  involved  the  dismissal  of  several 
native  agents,  and  the  continual  strain  of  these  dis- 
cussions as  to  the  justice  of  this  in  some  cases 
began  to  tell  upon  the  strength,  if  not  the  patient 
endurance,  of  the  old  Bishop.  It  is  needless  and 
inexpedient  after  this  lapse  of  time  to  awaken  the 
echoes  of  that  time  of  trial ;  it  is  enough  to  affirm, 
on  the  one  hand,  that  the  condition  of  the  work  fully 
justified  prompt  and  efficient  action  to  enforce  dis- 
cipHne  and  remove  the  reproach  which  the  incon- 
sistency of  some  agents  had  brought  upon  the  mission. 
At  the  same  time,  no  blame  was  attached  to  the 
Bishop  personally,  for  he  had  done  his  utmost  to 
keep  his  under-shepherds  and  their  flocks  in  order, 
and  with  great  fairness  and  judgment  he  presided 
over  these  committees,  whose  function  it  was  to  deal 
with  such  matters.  Nothing  became  the  man  so  well 
as  the  dignity  and  Christian  forbearance  he  displayed. 
But  it  must  be  added  that  his  feelings  were  much 
wounded  by  what  he  felt  was  a  lack  of  consideration 
and  even  interference  with  his  proper  province  as 
Bishop  of  the  diocese.  He  never  objected  to  the 
introduction  of  European  missionaries;  indeed,  he 
always  felt  that  their  co-operation  and  help  were 
most  valuable  ;  but  he  was  quite  naturally  jealous 
of  that  native  ministry  which  had  been  created  by 
his  labours  and  prayers  during  a  lifetime,  and  which 
he  firmly  believed  to  be  a  necessity  and  blessing  to 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       363 

the  work.  As  the  first  African  Bishop  he  honoured 
and  loved  his  native  clergy.  He  was  no  fanatic  on 
the  subject  of  a  native  ministry,  but  he  was  patriotic 
to  the  core,  and  rejoiced  to  see  his  own  country  being 
evangelized  by  her  own  sons.  It  must  also  be  borne 
in  mind  that  the  great  ideal  of  a  native  Church  with 
a  native  ministry,  self-supporting,  was  first  advocated 
by  that  venerable  and  honoured  secretary  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  the  Rev.  Henry  Venn, 
for  whom  the  Bishop  had  the  greatest  respect  and 
affection. 

As  regards  the  consistency  of  the  members  of  these 
native  churches,  which  had  been  so  strongly,  and  in 
some  cases  justifiably  criticized,  it  is  only  just  to 
take  into  consideration  that  they  had  emerged  from 
heathenism  but  a  few  years  before,  and  had  not  had 
the  advantage,  as  is  the  case  with  the  converts  in 
England,  of  a  Christian  parentage  and  a  favourable 
environment.  They  could  not  fairly  be  measured 
by  European  standards,  and  their  backsHdings, 
regrettable  as  they  were,  might  be  largely  due  to  the 
pressure  of  peculiar  temptations  and  of  surroundings 
of  which  they  recently  formed  a  part,  and  might  easily 
entangle  them  again.  The  native  Christians,  how- 
ever, knew  how  to  suffer  for  the  faith,  and  endured 
with  patience  and  fidelity  trials  which  would  be  im- 
possible for  the  white  man  to  bear.  As  we  have 
seen,  the  slaves  who  had  trusted  in  Christ  were  the 
prey  of  their  Mohammedan  masters,  and  made  to 
suffer  indignities  and  penalties  which  would  not  have 
been  their  portion  if  they  had  not  chosen  the  Gospel 


364       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

brought  by  the  missionary.  Some  had  suffered  the 
pains  of  slavery,  but  their  liberty  had  been  assured 
under  the  British  flag.  Now,  however,  as  the  willing 
slaves  of  Jesus  Christ,  they,  like  St.  Paul,  were  ready 
to  endure  all  things.  When  a  leading  chief  passed 
through  their  towns  and  villages  these  poor  people 
were  the  specially  selected  victims  of  their  hate  and 
rapacity. 

An  instance  of  this  occurred  at  Lokoja.  One 
of  the  relatives  of  a  passing  chief  exercised  their 
privilege  of  robbing  these  hapless  natives,  and  if  they 
dared  to  resist  they  were  made  to  suffer  for  their 
remonstrance.  One  of  the  Christian  converts  having 
ventured  to  draw  attention  to  the  simple  fact  that  his 
sheep  was  stolen,  was  tied  up,  together  with  his  wife, 
and  exposed  to  the  heat  of  the  burning  sun,  while 
three  thieves  went  to  his  house  and  barn  and  carried 
away  everything  they  could  lay  their  hands  on. 
Even  then  the  suffering  was  not  over,  for  the  chief 
fined  the  poor  man  fifty  bags  of  cowries,  and  slavery 
for  three  of  his  household.  Utterly  ruined  and  half- 
dead,  he  had  to  escape  into  the  bush,  and  after  hiding 
for  three  days,  crossed  over  to  Ghebe,  and  waited 
patiently  till  this  tyranny  was  overpast.  Disappointed 
of  their  victim,  these  ruffians  fell  upon  the  house  of 
his  neighbour,  and  carried  off  some  of  its  inmates 
to  be  sold  as  slaves.  This  incident  will  give  some 
idea  of  the  lawlessness  of  a  town  which  had  a  certain 
importance  as  a  trading  station,  and  what  the 
Christian  converts  had  to  bear.  In  what  spirit  did 
these  converts  regard  their  enemies  ?     One  instance 


ARCHDEACON    DANDESON   C.    CROWTHER 


To  face  page  364 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       365 

will  suffice.  The  persecutions  at  Bonny  have  been 
already  depicted.  If  ever  a  people  exercised  the 
"  charity  which  suffereth  long  and  is  kind,"  these 
poor  black,  ill-treated  Christians  did  ;  gathered  in  a 
prayer  meeting  when  the  fiery  furnace  of  their  af- 
flictions and  woes  was  at  its  hottest,  one  of  them  is 
heard  praying  :  "  We  beseech  Thee  not  to  rain  down 
fire  and  brimstone  on  these  stiff-necked  people,  as 
in  the  case  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  but  we  pray 
Thee  to  rain  down  Thy  love  on  them,  as  in  the  case 
of  Saul,  so  that  the  persecutors  may  be  arrested  on 
their  way  to  ask,  '  Lord,  what  wilt  Thou  have  me  to 
do  ?  '" 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  for  such  as  these,  his  children 
in  the  faith,  the  old  Bishop  had  most  tender  affection  ? 
Every  missionary  has  a  peculiar  love  for  his  converts, 
and  looks  at  them  with  eyes  altogether  unlike,  and 
impossible  to,  even  the  best  friend  of  the  heathen  at 
home.  They  have  seen  the  horror  of  great  darkness 
which  preceded  their  conversion,  against  many  diffi- 
culties and  disappointments  faith  and  prayer  have 
struggled,  and  now  that  the  Divine  light  shines  on 
these  black  faces,  there  is  joy  as  of  a  battle  won. 
Still  more  so  was  this  the  case  with  the  Bishop,  for 
he  had  the  additional  interest  of  being  one  of  them- 
selves, raised  up  to  be  a  leader  and  commander  of 
his  people. 

For  this  reason  the  backsliding  of  his  flock  was  all 
the  more  keenly  felt ;  love  always  suffers  most. 
But  there  was  no  weakness  in  the  Bishop.  He  was 
not  afraid  to  exercise  discipline,  and  was  vigilant  to 


366       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

detect   its   necessity,    as   far   as   human    discernment 
could  allow  : 

Surely  (says  he)  I  think  these  facts  must  show  that  I  did 
not  shut  mine  eyes  to  the  faults  of  the  agents  of  the  Niger 
Mission  during  a  period  of  now  over  twenty-five  years. 

Just  one  letter  shall  be  quoted  to  show  his  spirit 
in  dealing  with  delinquents.  He  has  discovered  one 
of  the  tutors  of  his  Institution  guilty  of  a  breach  of 
the  seventh  Commandment,  though  otherwise  a 
capable  and  apparently  respectable  man.  He  is 
writing  about  it  from  Lokoja,  23  October,  1884  : 

This  is  another  proof  that  we  are  apt  to  be  misled  by  the 
outward  appearance  or  intellectual  qualifications  of  men  ; 
whereas  the  Lord  looks  into  the  heart  which  has  imbibed  the 
disposition  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  learning 
daily  to  be  meek  and  lowly,  to  be  pure  and  holy,  according 
to  the  dictates  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  He  has  promised  to 
give  us  as  an  indwelling  Teacher. 

And  again,  after  discussing  the  inconsistency  of 
the  native  converts,  and  lamenting  the  backsliding 
which  has  given  such  occasion  for  their  suspension 
and  exclusion  from  membership,  he  shows  that  due 
care  has  been  taken  in  accepting  such.  He  is  writing 
from  Bonny  on  16  May,  1890  : 

All  which  tends  to  show  that  the  life  of  a  Christian  in  this 
world  is  a  life  of  constant  warfare,  of  watchfulness,  lest  Satan 
take  an  advantage  over  us  ;  it  is  a  life  of  earnest  prayer  to 
the  strong  man  for  support  in  time  of  trial  and  temptation, 
that  he  may  not  be  ignorant  of  his  devices  though  he  may 
appear  as  an  angel  of  light. 

We  never  feel  satisfied  with  the  external  sign  of  Christian 
profession.  When  the  converts  brought  to  us  their  idols  and 
other  objects  of  worship  in  the  service  of  Satan,  until  we  have 
instructed  them,  with  the  whole  armour  of  God,  to  stand  in 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       367 

the  evil  day,  and  pray  that  He  may  not  leave  them  to  them- 
selves to  be  drawn  back  to  the  bondage  of  Satan  from  which 
He  has  already  set  them  free,  notwithstanding  what  allure- 
ments may  be  offered  to  draw  them  back  or  whatever  may 
be  the  threat  to  their  mortal  bodies,  even  to  death  ;  that  they 
may  stand  steadfast  by  faith  that  Christ  is  with  them. 

In  some  cases  the  Bishop  asks  that  judgment 
may  be  withheld  before  utterly  condemning  some 
of  these  natives,  who  as  slaves  perhaps  in  the  midst 
of  heathen  customs  cannot  so  entirely  avoid  being, 
at  any  rate,  spectators  of  these  rites.  He  is  writing 
from  Onitsha  on  12  August,  1885  : 

We  firmly  demand  and  insist  upon  entire  separation  of  all 
Christian  converts  from  having  a  hand  or  voice  in  any  such 
acts  of  violence,  injustice,  or  brutality  in  the  future.  But 
when  we  make  such  a  stand  against  the  future  we  must  not 
be  overbearing  in  punishing  what  has  been  done  against  the 
will  of  those  who  were  involved  in  such  acts,  who  would  have 
willingly  got  out  of  it  if  they  could  find  a  way  to  do  so,  they 
being  under  the  influence  of  the  heathen  authorities,  whom 
they  could  not  contradict.  In  cases  of  these  our  severe  pun- 
ishment to  maintain  Christian  discipline  must  be  moderated 
with  sympathy  and  guided  by  due  allowance  for  the  measure 
of  knowledge  and  experienced  Christian  principle  which  the 
converts  possessed  to  guide  and  govern  them  under  such 
perplexing  circumstances,  they  having  scarcely  emerged  out 
of  these  rooted  barbarous  practices  of  their  forefathers. 

Through  all  these  trials  and  resettlements  of  the 
mission  the  Bishop  never  wavered  in  his  confidence 
in  the  value  of  native  agency.  His  ideal  never  forsook 
him,  and  to  his  mind  the  lesson  to  be  learned  from 
these  painful  experiences  was  that  not  only  the 
selection,  but  the  training  of  the  agents  should  be 
more  carefully  considered  and  safeguarded.  He 
pointed  out   that  in   breaking  up  the   hard  ground 


368       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

work  of  the  Niger  Mission  he  was  very  glad  in  the 
years  gone  by  to  have  the  co-operation  of  agents 
whose  education  was  sUght,  but  being  of  ripe  Christian 
experience,  and  having  the  spirit  and  perseverance 
of  pioneers,  they  well  answered  the  needs  of  that 
time.  They  were  superior  to  the  chiefs  by  having 
a  knowledge  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  able  to 
hold  their  own  in  argument.  As  an  instance  of  this, 
old  King  Ockiya  once  asked  for  a  teacher,  adding, 
"  I  do  not  want  a  boy,  but  a  man,"  meaning  not  age, 
but  the  capacity  to  discuss  and  take  a  superior  stand 
among  the  chiefs  and  headmen.  These  agents  were 
not  from  an  intellectual  standpoint  ideal  teachers, 
but  they  did  their  duty.     The  Bishop  observes  : 

Though  I  do  not  advocate  their  ordination  now,  as  I  was 
compelled  to  do  some  years  past,  yet  I  would  most  seriously 
advise  the  committee  not  to  overlook  the  usefulness  of  such 
Christian  men.  ...  It  is  now  and  then  the  will  of  the  Great 
Shepherd  to  employ  the  services  of  such  men  to  caU  hundreds 
of  wandering  sheep  into  the  fold. 

But  in  writing  from  the  mission  station  at  Bonny 
on  II  July,  1884,  he  gives,  with  his  usual  humility, 
a  word  of  advice  upon  a  subject  upon  which  he  was 
perhaps  the  best  qualified  to  render  any  counsel. 
He  is  so  anxious  that  the  character  of  the  native 
agents  should  be  maintained,  that  they  should  be 
weU  equipped,  all-round,  capable  men  of  God  : 

In  adverting  to  the  agents  to  be  employed  in  the  mission 
hereafter,  I  hope  I  shall  not  be  considered  as  a  persistent 
conservative  in  my  ideas  on  this  subject,  in  spite  of  any  im- 
proved plan,  which  may  have  been  adapted  to  be  followed 
hereafter.  I  am  as  liberal,  open,  and  favourable  to  improved 
and  well-qualified  agents  as  any  well-wisher  of  the  mission 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       369 

can  be — namely,  that  none  but  the  best  and  well  qualified  of 
the  sons  of  the  African  churches — whose  hearts  are  fired  with 
ardent  zeal,  whose  bowels  yearned  with  love  and  longing  desire 
for  the  salvation  of  their  countrymen — should  be  employed 
as  mission  agents.  That  they  should  be  decided  spiritual  men, 
because  spiritual  men  can  only  teach  spiritual  things.  That 
interpreters  are  only  crutches,  especially  if  they  are  not 
spiritual  men,  and  should  be  got  rid  of  as  soon  as  possible. 

Standing  in  the  midst  of  his  flock,  yearning  over 
the  fearful  ones,  weeping  over  the  wandering,  his 
heart  still  full  of  gratitude  for  what  God  had  done 
for  and  through  him  in  the  past,  the  old  grey-headed 
shepherd  of  souls  is  wistfully  looking  towards  a  future 
in  which  he  can  no  longer  take  a  part.  These  troubles 
have  cut  him  deeply,  but  his  heart  bleeds  in  secret, 
and  only  here  and  there  in  his  letters,  and  then  more 
between  the  Hues  than  along  the  written  words, 
do  we  see  something  of  what  he  feels.  Here  is  the 
fragment  of  a  letter  written  to  the  secretary  in  London 
on  30  January,  1884  : 

I  know  my  place  as  negro,  but  I  have  ever  paid  my  respects 
to  Europeans,  whether  old  or  young,  missionaries  or  those 
in  secular  occupations,  as  the  race  of  our  benefactors,  to  whom 
we  owe  our  bodily  freedom  and  the  spiritual  privileges  of  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  Christian  religion.  ...  I  have  never 
left  undone  anything  which  I  thought  might  conduce  to  the 
health  and  welfare  of  a  white  man  in  this  country  of  Africa. 
.  .  .  My  intention  is  to  show  clearly  the  present  state  of  things 
and  to  urge  the  Parent  Committee  to  supply  the  Niger  Mission 
with  as  many  European  missionaries  as  they  can,  to  be  the 
chief  workers  under  the  superintendence  of  the  European 
secretary.  . .  .  The  Europeans  are  better  managers,  their  actions 
and  report  will  be  better  confided  in  both  out  here  and  in 
England.  We  shall  be  content  to  work  under  their  direction 
as  in  former  years.  This  impediment  will  not  be  removed 
from  the  way  of  the  extension  of  the  mission. 
2  B 


370       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

His  one  absorbing  thought  was  his  work ;  while 
under  Divine  guidance  he  could  be  of  any  service 
he  was  ready  and  willing  to  go  on  ;  but  if  any  better 
way  or  wiser  worker  could  be  found,  the  Bishop  was 
quite  willing  to  stand  aside.  All  who  knew  him 
personally  will  confirm  this.  But  it  is  not  surprising 
that  at  times  the  old  man  grew  sad  and  depressed  ; 
worry  began  to  wear  even  where  hard  work  had  told 
little  as  yet.  Just  a  week  after  sending  the  foregoing 
letter  he  writes  another,  the  very  penmanship  here 
and  there  vibrant  with  the  throbbing  of  his  heart  : 

After  long  prayerful  and  mature  consideration,  I  have 
thought  it  advisable  to  write  out  the  impression  which  the 
present  state  of  the  Niger  Mission  has  made  upon  my  mind. 
If  others  are  delicate  to  tell  me  of  my  incompetency  in  the 
superintendence  of  the  Niger  Mission,  it  is  my  duty  to  relieve 
their  minds  of  that  delicacy.  I  am  ready  to  yield  place  to 
others  to  act  as  leading  managers  of  the  Niger  Mission.  I  am 
willing,  as  long  as  my  health  lasts,  to  labour  as  a  pioneer  in 
opening  fresh  grounds,  while  the  already  established  stations 
can  be  worked  by  superior  intellects  and  better  managers. 

The  work  is  a  public  one  and  of  great  importance,  and 
should  by  no  means  be  allowed  to  suffer  for  want  of  proper 
management,  strictness  of  discipline,  and  firmness  of  principles. 

It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  Society,  true  to  its 
great  traditions,  would  not  consent  to  the  step  sug- 
gested by  the  Bishop.  Amid  all  the  clamour  and 
criticism  of  their  own  administration,  with  its  con- 
flicting reports,  resignations,  personalities,  and  mis- 
understandings, the  committee  did  their  utmost  to 
hold  blameless  that  venerable  figure.  To  his  labours, 
life,  and  unique  personality  the  work  on  the  Niger 
had   owed   its   very    existence.     His    stainless   name 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       371 

was  associated  with  every  step  of  its  advancement, 
and  when  the  storm  of  trial  came,  and  it  seemed  as  if 
shipwreck  was  inevitable,  his  courage  and  loyalty 
were  not  counted  on  in  vain.  Never  possibly  had 
any  society  such  a  sorrow  to  undergo  ;  it  was  a  decade 
of  care  and  burden  under  the  strain  of  which  the 
health  of  many  responsible  for  affairs  was  impaired, 
and  some  precious  lives  never  survived.  It  was  one 
of  those  experiences  which  teach  the  human  heart 
its  infinite  need,  and  that  the  wisest  judgments  some- 
times are  at  fault.  When  discipline  had  purged  the 
native  churches,  dismissed  the  agents  who  were  ad- 
judged unsatisfactory,  and  reorganized  the  entire 
work  under  European  direction,  one  of  the  firstfruits 
was  the  expressed  desire  of  the  native  churches  of 
the  Delta  to  form  themselves  into  a  separate  and 
self-supporting  mission.  The  idea  was  not  a  new  one. 
So  far  back  as  1881  the  Bishop  drew  attention  to 
a  plan  whereby  the  chiefs  (and  particularly  when  in 
1864,  after  King  Pepple's  death)  might  subscribe 
and  share  at  any  rate  a  part  of  the  expense  of  establish- 
ing a  Christian  mission  in  the  Delta.  The  subject 
did  not  at  the  time  receive  much  attention,  but  the 
native  churches  were  constantly  encouraged  to  do 
their  utmost  for  the  support  of  the  work.  But  under 
the  circumstances  which  had  transpired  it  was  not 
surprising  that  the  converts  felt  the  time  had  arrived 
when  they  should  make  an  effort  to  put  in  practice 
that  hope  expressed  by  the  late  Henry  Venn,  "  that 
in  course  of  time  the  churches  in  the  Niger  Mission 
shall  become  self-supporting,  as  those  in  the  Colonies 


372       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

are."  After  taking  the  sense  of  the  members  of  the 
churches,  a  formal  apphcation  was  placed  in  the  hands 
of  the  Bishop,  who  sent  it  to  Salisbury  Square,  with 
his  personal  approval  and  support.  His  closing 
words  were  : 

When  the  extensive  openings  in  the  oil  rivers  in  God's 
good  providence  are  taken  into  consideration,  and  the  un- 
healthiness  of  the  muddy  Delta  region  as  a  natural  impediment 
to  European  health  and  life  is  weighed,  I  feel  convinced  that 
the  suggestion  of  the  churches  of  the  native  pastorates  of 
Lagos  and  Sierra  Leone  is  providential  that  the  Delta  district 
should  be  made  a  native  pastorate  to  be  worked  entirely- 
through  native  agency,  towards  the  expenses  of  which  they 
resolved  to  contribute  a  supplement. 

And  now  at  last  the  Bishop  broke  down.  He  had 
always  been  so  uncomplaining,  and  his  energy  never 
failed  him,  for  he  had  a  constitution  which  carried  him 
through  toils  and  hardships  to  which  others  younger, 
to  right  and  left  of  him,  succumbed.  Nobody  ex- 
pected him  to  fall ;  even  those  who  were  with  him, 
and  knew  him  best,  marvelled  that  he  kept  up  so 
bravely,  in  spite  of  unremitting  toil  and  anxiety. 
But  it  came  at  last.  In  a  letter  written  to  Salisbury 
Square  in  August,  1891,  came  tidings  of  sudden  in- 
disposition, which  made  his  many  English  friends 
greatly  grieved.  Still,  in  his  quiet,  cheerful  way  he 
made  little  of  it,  said  the  trouble  was  only  the  result 
of  a  cold  after  enduring  the  excessive  rains  of  two 
months'  wet  season,  but  it  was  really  much  more 
serious.  In  a  letter  addressed  to  General  Hutchinson, 
dated  16  October,  1891,  and  thanking  him  for  some 
words  of  sympathy,  he  gives  some  details   : 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       373 

I  was  laid  aside  by  a  sudden  attack  of  paralysis,  as  I  got 
up  from  my  desk,  which  paralyzed  my  right  hand  and  leg 
and  affected  my  speech  for  many  days,  so  that  I  could  not 
speak  audibly.  The  doctor  thought  a  change  of  place  would 
improve  me,  and  therefore  ordered  me  to  this  place,  for  which 
I  left  Bonny  on  the  25th  September  and  got  here  on  the  28th. 
I  am  thankful  to  say  that  I  am  improving,  hoping  to  be  all 
right  again  in  a  few  weeks.  I  sincerely  thank  the  many  kind 
friends  who  sympathize  with  me  in  my  affliction,  from  which 
I  never  suffered  before.  Wishing  soon  to  recover  my  health, 
to  spend  the  remainder  of  my  days  in  the  service  of  our  Divine 
Master,  I  remain. 

Sincerely  yours, 

Samuel  A.  Crowther. 

To  his  dear  friend,  Rev.  J.  Bradford  Whiting,  he 
writes  to  the  same  effect,  and  a  fortnight  afterwards 
he  is  more  hopeful  in  his  letter  to  the  secretary,  and 

says  : 

I  am  glad  to  say  it  has  done  me  good,  and  if  it  continues 
so  I  shall  soon  be  fit  to  resume  work. 

A  touching  reference  is  made  by  way  of  apology 
for  his  shaky  handwriting  ;  the  clear,  precise  regularity 
of  his  pen  is  certainly  missed.  When  the  Rev.  H. 
Dobinson  called  to  see  him  one  day  he  found  the  old 
Bishop  slowly  recovering,  but  not  at  all  himself. 
For  hours  he  would  sit,  deep  in  thought,  gazing  across 
the  sea. 

Every  life  has  its  stormy  weather,  and  every  bit 
of  work  for  God  and  humanity  has  its  day  of  cold 
grey  sky.  These  are  the  times  when  clouds  of  mis- 
giving, much  bigger  than  a  man's  hand,  creep  up 
from  the  horizon  to  mock  us,  and  every  gust  that 
blows  wafts  a  wailing  requiem  to  our  ears.  The 
song  of  the  birds  ceases,  the  face  of  nature  seems 


374       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

strangely  full  of  pity,  our  need  may  be  the  plea  of 
many  prayers,  but  we  feel  somehow  that  the  burden 
on  our  heart  is  being  borne  by  ourselves  alone — and 
God.  It  may  be  that  our  confidence  in  man,  like 
thin  ice,  is  breaking  at  every  step,  for  where  help  was 
expected  trouble  has  come  ;  we  have  been  misjudged, 
perhaps  we  too  in  part  have  also  misunderstood. 
Then  like  the  disciples  on  the  Emmaus  road,  with 
our  plaintive  "  But  we  trusted,"  we  look  into  the 
face  of  Divine  compassion,  and  ere  long,  when  our 
eyes  are  no  longer  holden,  the  sunshine  of  His  presence 
turns  our  sorrow  into  wondering  joy. 

Possibly  such  an  experience  dwelt  in  the  Bishop's 
heart  as  he  watched  the  dawn  and  sunset  on  that 
Lagos  shore.  He  seems  to  have  kept  it  very  much 
to  himself.  He  was  half  in  heaven.  His  wife  was 
there,  and  his  mother  and  a  multitude  of  beloved 
friends.  He  told  his  own  heart  that  his  work  was 
done,  and  he  doubtless  felt,  as  all  the  aged  do,  the 
intimations  of  the  end.  In  the  watchful  hours  of 
the  lonely  nights  he  heard  the  music  of  a  far-off  land, 
as  would  a  mariner  in  sight  of  home.  And  when  the 
day  came  back,  and  he  went  forth  in  the  morning 
slowly  towards  the  sea,  the  crisp  hair  on  his  brow 
looked  a  little  greyer,  and  the  Unes  were  deepening  in 
his  face  ;  those  bright,  pathetic  eyes  shone  with  a 
pleasing  sadness,  like  sunshine  after  rain. 

When  Archdeacon  Hamilton  landed  at  Lagos  on 
one  of  the  last  days  of  December,  he  spent  an  hour 
with  the  Bishop,  and  afterwards  took  him  on  his  arm 
to  a  dismissal  meeting  of  seven  schoolmasters  going 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       375 

out  from  the  training  institution.  At  the  close  the 
old  man  stood  up  and  gave  his  blessing,  tenderly, 
fatherly,  with  slow  and  faltering  speech,  his  last  act 
of  public  service.  So  much  had  he  brightened  up 
with  the  change  of  air  and  scene  that  he  spent  a 
good  part  of  the  next  day  in  diocesan  business  with 
his  visitors,  at  which  time,  with  evident  effort,  he 
rallied  his  forces  of  memory  and  mind  to  the  important 
matters  under  discussion.  He  even  spoke  of  leaving 
for  Bonny  the  first  week  of  January,  and  sent  a  letter 
to  Major  Macdonald,  the  Consul  from  the  Oil  Rivers, 
now  Sir  Claude  Macdonald,  of  Japan,  who  happened 
to  be  at  Lagos,  asking  if  he  could  give  him  a  passage 
in  his  steamer.  On  Christmas  morning  he  walked 
to  Christ  Church,  and  this  was  his  last  attendance  at 
the  house  of  God.  A  week  passed,  and  the  last  day 
of  the  old  year  was  reached.  It  was  his  custom  to 
write  out  in  draft  form  any  correspondence  of  im- 
portance, and  in  an  old  Letts's  Diary  there  is  a  feebly 
written  letter  which  he  had  attempted  to  compose 
in  acknowledgment  of  a  kindly  expressed  letter  from 
Salisbury  Square.  This  letter  was  never  sent,  and 
has  a  very  pathetic  interest  as  being  scrawled  by  a 
dying  hand.  It  was  possibly  the  very  last  writing 
he  penned  before  he  passed  away.  There  is  a  pencil 
note  to  the  effect  that  the  doctor  in  attendance  on 
the  Bishop  forbade  him  to  write  any  more  : 

My  dear  Sir, — You  will  see  by  my  handwriting  that  I  had 
been  sick  since  these  four  weeks,  sick  by — on  my  right  hand 
and  foot  and  affecting  my  speech,  so  the  doctor  forbid  my 
doing  anything,  but  I  am  getting  better. 


376       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

But,  sir,  your  two  accompanying  documents  brought  to 
my  memory  my  visit  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury 
about  two  archdeacons.  It  is  possible  I  was  accompanied  by 
a  secretary,  by  whom  (explained)  the  matter  to  the  Arch- 
bishop, to  which  he  gave  his  assent,  or  he  assented  to  the 
secretary.  I  thought  it  was  right,  I  being  a  novice  and  not 
knowing  the  difference.  I  apologize  for  my  ignorance.  Your 
memorandum  of  my  character  before  (and  after)  my  call  to 
the  ministry  in  1843,  and  after  my  call  to  the  episcopacy  in 
1864,  to  this  day  was  in  answer  to  my  prayer  that  the  God 
who  called  me  first  from  among  my  people  to  the  important 
post  in  His  service,  may  give  me  grace  to  set  a  good  example 
for  others  to  follow. 

Since  my  appointment  to  the  superintendent  of  the  Niger 
Mission  in  1857  to  the  present  I  never  refuse  any  suggestion 
made  by  the  committee  for  the  improvement  of  the  Niger 
Mission.  Though  I  am  single-handed,  I  like  to  be  improved 
by  the  ideas  of  others. 

His  daughter,  Mrs.  Macaulay,  at  whose  house  he 
spent  the  last  days,  has  kindly  supphed  a  recital, 
in  simple  and  touching  words,  of  what  took  place 
on  this  final  and  never-to-be-forgotten  day  of  his  life  : 

He  was  up  as  usual  on  the  morning  of  the  31st,  dressed, 
and  went  through  the  morning  devotions  as  he  did  every  day  ; 
then  had  his  tea  after  seven  o'clock.  About  eight  o'clock  he 
sent  to  call  me  to  read  a  letter  to  him.  I  took  the  letter  and 
read  it,  and  said  :  "  Father,  I  have  read  this  letter  to  you 
several  times."  He  said  :  "I  have  read  it  too."  (This  was 
the  last  letter  he  got  from  the  Secretary  of  the  C.M.S.,  Salisbury 
Square.) 

I  then  said  :  "If  you  want  any  more  letters  read  to  you, 
father,  call  for  Charles  [a  grandson  of  his]  ;  he  will  read  them 
to  you.  I  am  going  to  be  busy  with  your  breakfast."  He 
smiled,  and  I  left  him  sitting  at  the  table,  with  his  Prayer  Book 
and  hymn-book  and  some  papers. 

About  nine  o'clock  or  so  an  old  Christian  woman,  Emma 
Taiwo,  called  to  see  the  Bishop.  I  told  her  she  could  go  and 
have  a  chat  with  him  ;  he  is  not  busy,  and  will  be  leaving  in 
a  day  or  two  for  Bonny.  She  went  into  the  parlour  and  re- 
turned in  haste,  and  told  me  his  head  was  not  properly  on  the 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       377 

sofa.  I  ran  in  just  in  time  to  take  hold  of  him,  to  save  him 
from  dropping  from  the  sofa,  and  I  called:  "Father!  father!" 

He  answered  me.  I  said  :  "  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  He 
made  no  reply,  but  when  I  asked  if  he  was  cold  he  nodded, 
and  said  :  "  Yes."  I  ran  for  some  brandy  and  water,  which 
he  drank,  and  sent  for  Dr.  I.  Baudle,  as  Dr.  O.  Johnson  was 
away  from  home. 

After  the  attack  he  did  not  speak  much,  but  answered  when 
spoken  to. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  doctor  said  he  should 
go  into  his  bedroom,  as  the  wind  was  blowing  cold.  He  walked 
to  the  room  supported.  I  had  not  the  least  thought  there 
was  anything  serious,  although  I  kept  all  the  time  with  him. 
The  doctor  was  in  and  out  constantly  ;  his  last  visit  was  at 
seven  o'clock.  He  took  the  medicine  patiently,  sitting.  I  said 
something  about  his  coughing  ;   he  said,  "  No  pain." 

At  midnight  when  I  came  in  to  give  him  his  medicine  he 
sat  up  and  said  he  hoped  it  was  the  last  dose.  He  lay  down, 
and  as  I  covered  him  I  said,  "  Good  night,  father,"  and  he 
said,  "  Good  night."  Half  an  hour  later  I  heard  movements 
in  his  room  and  saw  father  just  lying  down,  and  I  jumped  on 
the  bed,  for  I  saw  he  was  dying.  "  Father  !  father  !  "  I  cried. 
He  heaved  a  sigh,  and  all  was  over.  He  passed  away  at  a 
quarter  to  one  in  the  morning. 

So  the  end  had  come  at  last !  To  that  Httle  room 
God's  messenger  had  brought  the  mandate  for  His 
beloved  to  come  Home. 

"  The  Master  calls  for  thee,"  and  at  that  word 
The  servant  rose  and  passed  the  Gate  of  Life, 

Whose  janitor  is  Death,  and,  listening,  heard 
The  song  triumphant  o'er  the  end  of  strife. 

Into  the  sunlight,  after  darkness  drear. 

Out  of  long  travail,  into  perfect  rest, 
This  side,  the  wreath  of  cypress  and  the  tear, 

Beyond,  the  Rose  of  Sharon  and  the  blest. 

No  breath  of  change  can  ruffle  thy  sweet  calm, 
Nor  cloud  of  care  break  in  upon  thy  peace. 

Thine  the  white  raiment  and  the  victor's  palm. 
The  joys  unspeakable  that  never  cease. 


378       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

We,  still  in  conflict,  for  a  little  space, 

Would  strive  and  bear  and  do,  with  faith  like  thine, 
If  haply  His  poor  wandering  sheep  may  trace 

The  path  of  mercy  to  the  Love  Divine. 

He  was  buried  next  day,  i  January,  1892,  the  funeral 
service  being  held  at  Christ  Church,  and  a  solemn 
address  was  given  by  the  Rev.  James  (now  Bishop) 
Johnson  to  a  large  congregation,  including  the  Governor 
and  most  of  the  chief  European  officials.  Ten  clergy- 
men, European  and  native,  including  his  two  nephews, 
preceded  the  coffin,  strewn  with  ferns  and  frangipani,  to 
the  grave,  the  Rev.  E.  Pearse  taking  the  first  part  of  the 
service,  and  Archdeacon  Hamilton  the  committal.  He 
was  laid  by  the  side  of  his  wife  and  mother,  and  the 
mourners  sang  together,  "  Hush,  blessed  are  the  dead." 

Something,  however,  more  enduring  than  these 
sweet  but  fading  flowers  was  destined  to  mark  the 
resting-place  of  the  late  Bishop.  His  many  friends 
in  England  and  West  Africa  gladly  subscribed,  and 
as  a  result  a  beautiful  monument  in  white  marble  was 
erected,  and  this  was  unveiled  with  much  ceremony 
on  4  August,  1898.  A  large  crowd  of  people  of  all 
classes  gathered  in  the  cemetery.  On  every  hand 
there  were  signs  of  the  deepest  respect  for  the  one 
whose  memory  they  came  to  honour.  Several  hymns 
were  sung,  and  prayer  offered  by  the  clergy.  His 
Excellency  the  Governor  then  spoke  of  the  virtues  of 
the  Bishop,  and  unveiled  the  monument.  An  address 
was  afterwards  dehvered  in  Yoruba  by  the  Rev.  James 
(now  Bishop)  Johnson,  and  after  the  choir  had  sung 
the    recessional    hymn    following    the    Benediction, 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       379 

a  large  number  of  the  spectators  lingered  behind  to 
read  the  inscription,  which  is  as  follows  : 


Sacred  to  tue  Memory  of 

Zbc  TRigbt  TRcv.  Samuel  Bjagt  Crowtber,  2).S>., 

A   MATIVB   OF  OSOGUN,    IN   THE    YORUBA    COUMTRT  ; 

A    RECAPTURED   AND   LIBERATED   SLAVE  ; 

THE   FIRST  STUDENT   IN   THE   ChURCH    MISSIONARY   SOCIETY'S  COLLEQE, 

AT  FouRAH  Bay,  Sierra  Leone  ; 

ORDAINED   IN    ENGLAND   BY   THE    BiSHOP   OF    LONDON,    JUNE   llTH,    1843  ; 
THE    FIRST   NATIVE   CLERGYMAN    OF   THE   ChURCH   OF   ENGLAND   IN    WeST   AFRICA, 

Consecrated  Bishop  June  29th,  1864. 

A  faithful,  earnest  and  devoted  missionary  in  connection  with 

the  Church  Missionary  Society  for  62  years, 

at  Sierra  Leone,  in  the  Timini  and  Yoruba  Countries, 

AND  IN  the  Niger  Territory  ; 

HE   accompanied   THE   FIRST   RoYAL   NlGER   EXPEDITION   IN    1841  ; 

WAS  A  JOINT  Founder  with  others  of  the  Yoruba  Mission  in  1845, 
AND  Founder  of  the  Niger  Mission  in  1857 ; 

AND   OF  THE   SELF-SUPPORTING    NiGER    DELTA    PASTORATE    IN    ISIH  ; 

HE   FELL   ASLEEP   IN   JeSUS   AT   LAGOS,    ON   THE    31ST   DECEMBER,    1891, 

AGED    ABOUT   89    YEARS. 

"  IVell  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  servant Enter  thou  into  the 

joy  of  thy  Lord." — Matt.  xxv.  21. 
"Redeemed  by  His  Blood." 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  sum  up  at  any  length 
the  striking  characteristics  of  Bishop  Crowther  in 
these  closing  words.  Through  the  foregoing  pages 
it  has  been  the  sincere  aim  of  the  biographer  to  allow 
this  wonderful  personality  to  reveal  itself,  not  only 
that  those  who  knew  him  should,  as  from  a  phono- 
graph, hear  his  voice  again,  but  that  a  wider  sphere 
of  thousands  to  whom  he  has  been  but  an  honoured 


38o       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

name  should  realize  the  manner  of  man  he  was,  and 
learn  to  respect  and  love  him  too.  And  from  time 
to  time  an  endeavour  has  been  made  to  point  out  traits 
of  his  character  which  have  been  in  his  own  words  or 
actions  exemplified.  And  these  marks  of  a  noble 
mind  and  a  faithful  and  devout  spirit  will  be  confirmed 
by  all  who  had  the  privilege  of  knowing  him. 
Wherever  he  has  visited  and  preached  in  England  he 
has  left  behind  memories  which  any  man  might  envy, 
and  it  is  needless  to  say  that  in  his  own  land  and 
among  his  own  people  thousands  rise  up  and  call  him 
blessed  as  the  father  of  his  country. 

It  only  remains  to  glean  some  particulars  of  his 
home  life,  the  man  as  he  was  at  his  fireside,  or  rather 
to  say,  in  such  a  cHmate,  in  his  family  circle,  that 
sacred  idyll  which  we  carry  in  our  hearts  till  it  ceases 
to  beat,  the  memory  of  which  is  precious  beyond 
price  to  him  who  hath,  and  he  who  hath  it  not  is 
poor  indeed.  By  special  request,  therefore,  the 
Bishop's  son,  the  Ven.  Archdeacon  Dandeson  C. 
Crowther,  has  kindly  supphed  some  personal  details 
of  his  honoured  father  which  will  be  scanned  with 
deepest  interest.  No  member  of  the  family  is  more 
quahfied  to  render  this  great  service  to  his  father's 
memory ;  as  we  have  seen,  he  was  his  secretary  and 
companion  from  his  boyhood,  shared  his  vicissitudes 
and  sufferings,  drank  deep  of  his  spirit  while  trained 
in  his  company  for  future  service,  and  upon  whom  his 
mantle  rests,  and  the  noble  heritage  of  his  work  and 
name.  It  is  the  simplest  meed  of  praise  to  say  of  a 
very  modest  man  that  he  is  a  worthy  successor  of 
a  father  so  honoured  and  beloved. 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       381 

He  tells  us  that  in  his  home  life  his  father  was 
conspicuously  a  consistent  Christian.  He  was  not 
a  great  man  abroad  and  insignificant  at  home.  Those 
who  were  visitors  to  the  family,  and  knew  the  Bishop 
in  his  private  life,  admired  the  reality  and  practical 
value  of  his  piety  in  this  inner  sphere.  A  European 
writer  who  had  no  particular  sympathy  with  African 
superintendence  said  :  "  The  late  Bishop  Crowther 
was  as  remarkable  and  worthy  a  man  as  it  would  be 
possible  to  find  anywhere,  combined  with  the  most 
transparent  sincerity  and  earnestness." 

We  are  told  at  home  he  was  very  strict  in  discipline 
and  in  the  observance  of  religious  truths,  which  may 
be  said  to  be  bordering  on  a  puritanic  method.  No 
one  in  the  household  missed  services  on  Sundays,  class, 
prayer  meetings,  or  any  religious  exercise  within  reach 
on  weekdays  without  giving  an  explanation  for  their 
absence.  One  of  his  sons  disobeyed  his  schoolmaster 
one  day,  and  accordingly  received  punishment.  Re- 
lying on  sympathy  at  home,  the  son  left  the  school 
and  came  in  with  tears  and  bitter  lamentations, 
while  the  schoolmaster  stood  trembling,  and  awaiting 
the  consequences  from  the  father,  who  was  the  minister 
of  the  station.  Finding  out  that  the  son  had  been 
disobedient,  the  father  (who  was  the  future  Bishop) 
took  him  back  himself  to  school,  and  after  further 
inquiry  into  the  case,  he  ordered  the  schoolmaster 
to  give  him  a  dozen  strokes  with  the  birch  before  all 
the  other  pupils  ;  and  after  a  lecture  that  his  school- 
master is  to  be  obeyed  in  all  things  lawful  and  right, 
he  left  the  school.     After  this  example  the  school- 


382       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

master  had  an  easy  time  with  his  pupils,  and  the  son 
ever  after  learnt  the  grace  of  obedience. 

And  yet  with  all  this  good  old-fashioned  discipline 
he  was  a  bright  and  entertaining  father  among  his 
children.  In  the  evenings  they  used  to  gather  round 
his  knees  to  hear  stories  of  his  early  days,  of  the  life 
he  lived  as  a  boy  at  Oshogun,  stories  of  monkeys  and 
rats,  and  of  adventures  when  he  accompanied  his 
father  to  the  towns.  He  sketched  pictures  of  the 
large  farm  they  had  then,  and  how  he  used  to  be  up 
early  in  the  morning,  go  to  the  farm  with  his  hoe, 
and  working  hard  would  throw  up  his  allotted  heaps 
of  earth  to  plant  with  the  yams,  and  then  sit  under 
a  tree  enjoying  the  fun,  and  laughing  at  the  slothful 
companions  still  toiling  hard  under  the  heat  of  the 
sun.  Then  he  taught  his  children  many  Yoruba 
proverbs,  and  those  amusing  fables  with  which  their 
language  abounds.  But  nothing  delighted  them  more 
than  to  hear  the  story  of  how  he  put  on  his  first  shoes, 
which  he  illustrated  with  actions  which  made  them 
clap  their  hands  and  shout  with  glee.  Here  are  the 
very  words  of  the  story ;  it  was  of  the  time  when  he 
was  a  pupil  at  coUege  : 

There  were  four  of  us  who  were  promoted  to  the  position 
of  monitors  ;  one  called  Attara  was  the  cleverest  among  us. 
This  was  at  Fourah  Bay  College,  under  Mr.  Haensel,  a  kind 
German  tutor  at  that  time,  between  1834  and  1840.  To  give 
effect  to  our  position  we  were  allowed  to  wear  shoes.  Four 
strong,  stout  shoes  with  very  thick  soles  were  procured  and 
given  to  us  from  the  soldiers'  barracks  ;  they  were  called 
"  Blucher  shoes."  On  a  Saturday  afternoon  we  were  called, 
presented  with  a  pair  each,  and  told  to  put  them  on  every 
Sunday   to    church    at    St.    George's    Cathedral,    a    distance 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       383 

of  about  three  miles.  Never  having  had  shoes  on  before,  we 
began  practising  in  our  dormitory  that  evening  ;  none  of  us 
could  move  a  step  after  lacing  up  on  our  feet  these  unwieldy 
articles,  and  consequently  we  were  objects  of  laughter  by  our 
pupils.  An  idea  struck  me  at  once,  which  I  put  into  execution. 
Crawling  to  a  corner  of  the  room,  I  first  knelt  down,  then  hold- 
ing on  to  the  wall  for  support  I  stood  up,  and,  still  being  sup- 
ported by  the  wall,  I  stepped  round  the  room  many  times, 
the  others  following  my  example,  till  we  were  able  to  leave 
the  wall,  stand  alone,  or  move  about  without  support.  You 
can  well  imagine  what  a  burden  this  was  to  us,  and  after 
losing  sight  of  the  college  we  sat  on  the  grass,  took  off  the 
shoes,  walked  barefoot,  and  only  put  them  on  at  the  porch 
of  the  church  ;  we  did  the  same  on  returning  to  college. 
After  some  months'  practice  we  were  able  to  move  better  in 
them,  but  complained  how  they  hurt  our  feet  so  and  would 
rather  be  without  them.  But  after  some  months  we  invested 
in  the  purchase  of  boots  ourselves,  and  were  careful  to  buy 
those  that  made  noise  and  creaked  as  we  stepped  with  them, 
to  our  great  delight  and  the  admiration  of  our  pupils. 

If  ever  a  man  had  the  grace  of  humility,  not  a 
popular  virtue,  it  was  the  Bishop.  His  son  has  sup- 
plied some  instances  of  a  purely  personal  character, 
which  throw  a  fresh  light  upon  a  distinguished  in- 
cident of  his  life,  a  veritable  peep  behind  the  scenes. 
The  much-revered  Rev.  Henry  Venn,  the  honorary 
secretary  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society  in  1864, 
found  a  hard  task  in  persuading  Crowther,  for  whom 
he  had  such  a  personal  regard,  to  accept  the  office  of 
Bishop.  Without  knowing  why  he  was  sent  for 
the  latter  left  for  England  only  a  week  after  his  re- 
turn from  the  Niger,  and  so  urgent  was  the  instruction 
that  he  should  attend  the  General  Committee  on 
a  certain  day  that  he  had  no  time  to  get  a  new  suit  of 
clothes  made,  and  consequently  entered  the  committee- 
room  in  his  Niger  travelling  dress — a  heavy  old  shabby 


384       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

pilot  coat  with  a  row  of  large  shining  brass  buttons  in 
front,  which  on  his  appearance  set  the  whole  of  the 
members  into  a  roar  of  laughter.     He  could  not  make 
out  what  was  the  cause  of  the  fun,  and  it  took  him 
some  time  before  he  knew  that  something  was  amiss 
in   his   appearance,   and  apologized  for   it.     At   this 
committee    meeting,    after    asking    him    about    the 
welfare  of  the  work  on  the  Niger,  he  was  told  that  he 
had  been  sent  for  on  a  very  important  matter,  which 
the   honorary  secretary  would   communicate  to  him 
in  his  office  after  the  close  of  the  meeting.     At  this 
private  interview  he  was  told  that  it  was  the  desire 
of  the  committee  to  recommend  him  for  the  Bishopric. 
He  rose  and  said,  "  I  am  not  worthy,"  and  after  a 
pause  continued,  "See  the  European  missionaries,  as 
Rev.  H.  Townsend  and  others,  who  have  been  labouring 
for  the  cause  of  Africa  these  so  many  years.     Why 
should  they  be  left,  and  I  am  asked  to  take  up  such 
an  office  ?     No,  sir,  I  am  their  servant  in  the  field  ; 
I  cannot  accept  it."     The  Rev.  Henry  Venn  quietly 
replied,  "  True,  but  we  saw  them  all ;   we  know  and 
appreciate  their  work,  before  asking  you  to  take  this 
office."     Still   standing    in   deep    humihty,   Crowther 
refused  to  comply  with  the  request,  and  Mr.  Venn 
knelt   down   and  prayed  with  him.     Then  he  bade 
him   good-bye,   told  him   to   go   to   New   Brompton 
and  spend  a  quiet  time  with  his  old  friend,  the  Rev. 
J.  F.  Schon.    Here  he  stayed  two  days,  and  Mr.  Schon 
tried  to  show  him  by  every  argument  in  his  power 
the  issue  of  usefulness  to  the  Gospel  and  the  Negro 
race,  if  he  would  make  up  his  mind  to  yield  to  Mr. 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       385 

Venn's  wishes.  Still  unshaken,  however,  he  returned 
to  Salisbury  Square,  and  entering  Mr.  Venn's  room, 
the  latter  rose,  made  him  sit  down,  put  his  hands  on 
his  shoulders  and  said,  "  I  hope  you  have  brought  me 
good  news  to-day."  Seeing  no  signs  of  good  tidings, 
he  took  hold  of  both  his  hands  in  his,  and  looking 
straight  into  his  eyes,  he  said  solemnly  :  "  Samuel 
Adjai,  my  son,  will  you  deny  me  my  last  wish  asked 
of  you  before  I  die  ?  "  This  broke  Crowther  down 
altogether,  and  with  tears  in  his  eyes  he  answered, 
"  It  is  the  Lord  ;  let  Him  do  what  seemeth  Him 
good."  They  both  knelt  down,  and  prayed  together, 
Mr.  Venn  sobbing  with  gratitude.  This  was  the  way 
he  was  led  to  become  a  Bishop,  and  he  never  related 
this  story  to  his  son  without  the  deepest  emotion. 

Afterwards  I  was  his  secretary  for  a  long  time,  and  when 
written  to  as  "  My  Lord  "  my  father  used  to  tell  me,  in  reply, 
to  put  a  postscript  thus  :  "  Please  address  me  Right  Reverend 
Bishop,  and  never  as  My  Lord."  If  there  was  only  one 
seat  and  a  schoolmaster  came  in,  he  would  rise  and  offer  him 
his  chair.  Once  I  asked  my  father  why  he  did  so,  and  his 
reply  was  :  "  People,  seeing  me  standing,  will  very  soon  go 
and  get  me  another  seat,  but  will  not  be  so  quick,  if  ever  they 
did  think  of  getting  one  for  a  schoolmaster."  It  may  be 
added  that  for  Europeans  of  all  conditions  and  under  any 
circumstances  his  humility  and  reverence  were  marked,  as  he 
often  said,  in  explanation  of  this  :  "I  owe  so  much  to  their 
fathers." 

What  shall  be  said  of  the  unwearied  patience  of 
the  Bishop  ?  Some  might  think  he  bore  things, 
suffering  long,  almost  to  a  fault.  For  the  exercise 
of  this  grace  he  had  no  lack  of  opportunity,  and  it 
dignified  and  ennobled  him.  This  is  not  one  of  those 
2  c 


386       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

heroic  virtues  which  enhst  the  commendation  of 
men,  but  it  has  more  of  the  Divine  hkeness  than  we 
perhaps  imagine.  Patience  makes  no  noise  and  is 
not  always  wiping  its  sword  with  grim  satisfaction  ; 
it  is  satisfied  to  be  infinitely  tender,  quietly  waiting, 
its  face  flushed  with  the  mercy  of  God.  From  this 
good  Bishop's  life  we  take  one  or  two  personal  memories 
of  this.  The  Rev.  J.  C.  Taylor  makes  a  note  in  his 
journal,  under  date  23  December,  1861,  of  this  in- 
cident : 

At  the  first  opening  of  the  Sunday-school  at  Akassa,  Mr. 
Crowther  took  the  first  class  at  the  head  of  the  table,  and 
with  his  venerable  silver-bound  spectacles  on,  a  pointer  in 
his  hands,  pointing  to  the  alphabet  characters,  calling  out 
loudly,  "A,  B,  C,  D,"  while  the  Akassans  stood  mute,  not 
knowing  what  to  do.  As  soon  as  he  could  make  them  under- 
stand the  words  for  "  repeat  together,"  they  at  once  broke 
out  in  hearty  laughter,  one  going  out  and  another  coming  in, 
and  others  coming  against  the  table  ;  but  there  was  this  good 
man,  patiently  waiting  till  the  uproar  ceases,  and  then  com- 
mencing again  to  point  out  A,  B,  C,  D  to  them.  His  heart 
was  full  of  great  and  broad  plans  for  the  good  of  all  Africa, 
and  yet  did  not  count  it  waste  of  time  to  give  his  whole  mind 
to  the  simple  work  of  teaching  the  alphabet  to  a  rowdy 
Sunday-school  class. 

One  more  instance  must  be  given,  this  time  by  the 
Rev.  J.  Boyle,  his  faithful  friend  and  co-worker  : 

An  instance  of  it  is  quite  fresh  in  my  mind.  As  far  back 
as  the  year  1874,  when  the  New  Calabar  Mission  was  first 
started  on  the  old  site,  the  late  Rev.  W.  E.  Carew  was  sta- 
tioned there  as  a  pioneer  missionary  with  Mr.  J.  D.  Garrick, 
then  a  catechist,  as  his  assistant,  but  now  a  clergyman  in  the 
Sierra  Leone  pastorate.  The  Bishop  has  a  by  no  means  easy 
task  to  deal  with  the  king  and  chiefs  in  connection  with  the 
work  of  the  boarding  school  established  there,  especially  with 
regard  to  the  payment  of  fees  incurred  for  the  maintenance 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       387 

of  the  pupils.  On  one  occasion  the  Bishop  determined  to  call 
on  the  king  and  chiefs  to  speak  on  this  particular  subject 
among  thcni.  After  a  long  pull  in  the  mission  gig  boat,  the 
town,  which  was  nine  miles  from  the  station,  was  reached, 
and,  led  by  trusty  guides,  we  wended  our  way  to  the  king's 
quarters.  Although  the  king  and  chiefs  were  previously 
notified  of  the  intended  visit,  yet  to  our  great  surprise  and 
astonishment  no  one  came  out  to  meet  the  Bishop,  but  we 
were  simply  directed  to  a  verandah,  where  we  had  to  wait  for 
a  good  while  ere  the  king  made  his  appearance.  During  the 
interval  of  waiting  my  brother  missionary  and  myself,  fresh 
from  college,  with  very  little  or  no  experience  of  life  in  these 
parts,  did  not  fail  to  express  our  indignant  feelings  to  the 
Bishop  that  he  should  be  so  treated,  although  timely  notice 
of  his  visit  had  been  given.  The  Bishop,  instead  of  sharing 
in  our  indignation,  in  a  quiet,  calm,  and  collected  manner 
said  :  "  My  young  friends,  you  have  to  bear  and  forbear  with 
these  people,  because  at  best  in  some  of  their  actions  they  are 
nothing  better  than  children.  In  dealing  with  them  you  have 
to  be  armed  with  a  threefold  coat  of  mail  called  Patience." 

Another  leading  trait  in  his  character  was  his 
sense  of  gratitude.  He  always  taught  his  children 
to  say  "  Thank  you  "  for  the  smallest  favours,  and 
they  had  before  them  not  only  precept  but  example 
in  this  respect.  He  always  spoke  to  them  about  Mrs. 
Weeks  so  gratefully  because  she  taught  him  his  first 
letters.  When  he  first  came  to  their  house  he  acted 
as  pantry-boy,  and  this  lady  one  day  saw  him  with 
a  paper  in  his  hand  trying  to  read,  and  he  asked  her 
to  teach  him.  So  she  promised  if  he  would  be  quick 
and  good  in  washing  up  things  and  keeping  his  pantry 
in  order  she  would  give  him  half  an  hour  every  evening 
to  teach  him.  How  thankfully  he  recalled  this  little 
service  rendered  to  him !  After  his  consecration 
at  Canterbury,  on  his  return  to  London,  the  first 
people  he  called  on  were  Mrs.  Weeks  and  Admiral 


388       IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST 

Leeke,  who  rescued  him  on  the  Myrmidon  m  1822. 
His  gratitude  to  the  Rev.  Henry  Venn  was  unbounded  ; 
he  taught  his  children  always  to  call  him  "  The  good 
father  of  Africa." 

Much  might  be  added  on  the  score  of  his  unwearied 
diligence.  The  Bishop  had  a  grand  capacity  for  work. 
His  pen  was  ever  in  his  hand,  on  his  voyages,  in  brief 
delayings  in  his  journeyings,  in  his  brief  home  stayings, 
during  meetings,  his  writing  never  seemed  to  cease. 
He  never  let  his  correspondence  go  behind,  a  virtue 
which  only  the  elect  can  dare  to  claim.  Every  letter, 
however  trivial,  he  answered  forthwith  and  by  his 
own  hand.  Looking  up  from  a  pile  of  such  letters 
with  which  he  was  carefully  and  laboriously  dealing 
he  said,  "  These  sort  of  letters  should  be  carefully 
answered  to  lead  the  writers  to  a  higher  aim  and  nobler 
thoughts."  It  seems  incredible  for  one  whose  life 
was  so  full  and  strenuous,  but  his  mass  of  papers 
evidence  the  fact  that  he  copied  with  his  own  hand 
not  only  the  letters  he  wrote,  but  most  of  those  he 
received.  So  he  toiled  on,  preaching,  praying,  working, 
an  apostolic  life  in  modern  times. 

His  work,  Hke  his  name,  remains  an  imperishable 
monument  of  all  his  faith  and  labour.  Whatever 
achievement  in  the  path  of  Christian  enterprise  lies 
on  the  Niger,  it  will  never  be  forgotten  that  he  broke 
the  hard  and  fallow  ground.  It  was  his  brave  heart 
and  strong  hand  that  cut  the  first  path  through  the 
dense  undergrowth  of  superstition  ;  it  was  he,  as  a 
wise  master  builder,  who  laid  the  foundations  of  the 
work  of  God  that  was  to  be.     Like  Washington,  he 


IN  THE  CRUCIBLE  AND  AT  REST       389 

was  the  father  of  his  country  ;  but  he  did  more,  for 
he  proved  in  his  own  person  the  capacity  of  the  African 
to  serve  his  own  people  and  his  God.  His  Hfe  has 
silenced  many  who  made  us  to  differ,  and  in  the  ad- 
vancement and  development  of  the  native,  not  only 
in  spiritual  but  in  civil  responsibihties,  he  will  be 
remembered  as  the  forerunner  of  a  potential  race 
to  be.  Above  all,  this  man  walked  with  God,  and 
he  was  not,  for  He  took  him,  full  of  years  and  honour, 
laying  down  a  sickle  which  in  the  great  day  of  harvest 
shall  not  fail  to  fill  his  arms  with  golden  sheaves. 


CHAPTER    XII 

THE   FIELD — TO-DAY   AND   TO-MORROW 

NO  true  life  ends  at  the  open  grave.  It  may  be 
a  fine  fancy  to  hearken  to  the  heart  beating  its 
funeral  march  thither,  but  of  the  great  and  good  this 
is  not,  can  never  be,  the  case.  The  music  of  their 
pulsing  blood  is  victorious,  with  one  clear  note  of  faith 
and  hope  in  unison,  a  strain  of  rejoicing  in  that  divine 
and  deathless  energy  which  kindles  other  lives  and 
repeats  itself  in  power,  not  only  to-day  but  in  the  to- 
morrow of  the  world.  So  we  who  mourn,  turning 
slowly  homeward  over  the  grass,  brush  away  our  tears, 
feeling  that  we  have  not  lost  our  heart's  treasures  ; 
they  are  but  sunbeams  lifted  higher,  and  we  are 
satisfied  that  whatever  may  be  their  celestial  service 
yonder,  they  have  left  something  much  more  than  a 
memory  here.  Freed  from  the  tense  limitations  of 
mortal  life,  they  can  now  serve  a  nobler  sphere,  and 
their  influence,  in  ever  widening  waves  of  blessing, 
does  more  than  when  we  could  look  into  their  faces 
and  listen  to  the  voices  we  so  miss  to-day. 

This  is  true  of  Bishop  Crowther,  who  has  left  the 
print  of  his  character  upon  his  people,  and  is,  even 
now,  an  inspiration  in  the  work  he  left  behind. 

One  of  the  most  important  incidents  in  the  later 

390 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    391 

years  of  his  life  was,  as  we  have  seen,  the  formation  of 
the  Delta  Pastorate  Church.  This  ideal  never  faded 
from  the  horizon  of  his  hopes,  through  all  those  years 
of  patient  and  faithful  toil ;  his  prayer  was  that  he 
might  be  permitted  to  see  an  African  church,  self- 
supporting,  and  ministered  to  by  a  purely  native 
pastorate  for  the  evangelization  of  West  Africa.  The 
idea  did  not,  of  course,  originate  with  him,  the  credit 
for  its  origin  is  justly  due  to  that  wise  and  devoted 
secretary  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  the  Rev. 
Henry  Venn,  who  treated  Crowther  as  his  dear  son  in 
the  faith  and  greeted  him  as  a  happy  augury  of  the 
possible  fulfilment  of  his  heart's  desire.  In  that  fine 
classic  of  missionary  history,  which  preserves  for  all 
time  the  interesting  record  of  this  great  Society,  Mr. 
Eugene  Stock  truly  remarks  : 

Preparation  for  the  euthanasia  of  missions,  that  is,  self- 
supporting,  self-governing,  and  self -extending  native  churches, 
was  perhaps  the  most  important  work  of  Mr.  Venn's  life.  The 
subject  had  never  been  touched  when  he  took  it  up.  There 
is  no  sign  in  the  first  half  of  the  last  century  that  anyone, 
either  in  the  Church  of  England  or  outside  of  it,  had  given  a 
thought  to  the  matter.  Henry  Venn  led  the  way,  and,  with 
no  experience  or  precedents  to  guide  him,  gradually  formed 
conclusions  and  worked  out  plans,  which  have  since  been 
adopted  in  substance  by  most  missionary  societies  sufficiently 
advanced  to  have  Christian  communities  to  think  about. 

An  incident  occurred  in  those  early  days  which 
accelerated  this  impulse  in  the  mind  of  Mr.  Venn. 
A  native  merchant  from  Sierra  Leone  was  taking  tea 
with  him  one  day.  The  visitor  had  brought  his  wife 
and  children  with  him  to  England,  and,  apparently 
regardless  of  expense,  it  was  his  intention  to  go  up  to 


392    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

Scotland,  and  even  pay  a  visit  to  Paris  before  he  and 
his  family  turned  homewards.  Mr.  Venn  said  to  him, 
"  If  you  can  afford  to  spend  so  much  money  in  travel- 
ling for  your  pleasure,  why  don't  you  contribute  some- 
thing for  the  support  of  your  own  clergy,  instead  of 
leaving  it  all  to  us  in  England  ?  "  The  answer  was 
significant  enough.  "  Mr.  Venn,  treat  us  like  men, 
and  we  shall  behave  like  men  ;  but  so  long  as  you 
treat  us  like  children,  we  shall  behave  like  children." 
The  result  of  that  tea-table  talk  has  been  felt  in  the 
missionary  field  in  every  land  ever  since.  It  is  not 
surprising  that  on  these  lines  Crowther  proved  himself 
an  apt  and  most  sympathetic  pupil.  So  far  back  as 
1864  we  find  him  discussing  with  King  William  Pepple 
an  arrangement  whereby  he,  as  native  leader,  should 
contribute  a  moiety  of  the  expense  of  building  mission 
premises,  and  again  and  again  Crowther  reported  in 
his  letters  home  the  advantages  and  rightful  claims  of 
his  fellow-countrymen  in  this  matter. 

The  crisis  which  so  seriously  dislocated  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Niger  Mission  during  the  closing  years  of 
the  Bishop's  work  was,  without  doubt,  an  incentive, 
prompting  the  native  pastors  and  their  converts  to 
make  a  specific  and  earnest  appeal  to  him,  as  their 
Chief  Shepherd,  to  establish  a  self-supporting  native 
church  on  the  Delta.  There  was,  however,  no 
anxiety  on  their  part  to  sever  themselves  from  the 
doctrines  and  discipline  of  the  Church  of  England. 
This  long-anticipated  stage  was  received  with  a  little 
natural  regret  on  the  part  of  the  authorities  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society  that  the  suggestion  should 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    393 

come  at  a  time  when  some  misunderstanding  was  felt 
on  the  Niger.  The  Bishop  had  strongly  supported  the 
appeal,  and  on  a  matter  of  so  much  moment  the 
counsel  of  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  was  asked, 
and  in  a  most  fatherly  and  sympathetic  spirit  given. 

It  was  a  great  day  of  rejoicing  at  Bonny  when,  on 
29  April,  1892,  the  Delta  Pastorate  was  inaugurated 
with  special  services  of  thanksgiving  at  St.  Stephen's 
Cathedral  and  St.  Clement's,  the  sermons  being 
preached  by  the  Rev.  J.  Boyle  and  Archdeacon  D.  C. 
Crowther.  The  latter  spoke  hopefully  of  the  future 
and  said  : 

I  am  feeling  more  and  more  convinced  that  God  wishes  in 
these  latter  days  to  extend  the  name  and  knowledge  of  His 
beloved  Son  by  simple,  inexpensive  means,  using  local  instru- 
ments to  carry  it  into  the  interior,  and  by  the  formation  of 
this  pastorate  the  people  make  the  religion  their  own,  and  are 
already  feeling  the  responsibility  of  taking  the  Gospel  with 
them  everywhere  they  go,  and  preach  it  to  their  countrymen 
in  the  interior,  where  we,  with  our  hamperings,  cannot  so 
easily  get  to.  It  may  be  said  that  they  are  weak,  yet  they 
act  as  pioneers  for  us,  and  do  impart  the  good  instruction 
they  receive,  preparing  the  minds  of  the  people  for  the  time 
when  missionaries  (I  trust  steady,  godly  young  men  from  our 
churches)  will  be  located  among  them.  This  is  our  aim,  and 
may  God  grant  it  may  come  to  pass. 

It  was  not,  however,  until  the  year  1896,  when,  after 
mutual  conference  in  London  and  Lagos,  that  a  formal 
constitution  was  drawn  up  for  the  self-government  of 
the  work  in  the  Delta,  and  signed  by  all  parties,  that 
the  Niger  Delta  Pastorate  Church  became  an  accom- 
plished fact.  This  set  forth  its  ecclesiastical  basis  as  a 
branch  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  provided  for  its 
administration   as   a  self-supporting  organization  by 


394   THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

Church  Councils  and  Committees  under  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  a  Bishop.  Such  a  happy  result  was  largely  due 
to  the  patient  and  loving  influence  of  the  late  Bishop 
Hill  and  of  the  present  Bishop  Tug  well,  with  the  co- 
operation of  Archdeacon  D.  C.  Crowther,  the  present 
Bishop  James  Johnson,  and  other  representatives  of 
the  native  ministry.  Since  then  the  work  has  pro- 
gressed, new  churches  have  been  built,  and  boarding 
schools  established  for  boys  and  girls. 

One  of  the  needs  of  the  Delta  Pastorate  is  trained 
natives  of  that  district  to  undertake  the  pastoral  and 
evangelizing  work  among  the  heathen  in  the  hinter- 
land. Hitherto  it  has  been  dependent  upon  Sierra 
Leone  or  the  Gold  Coast  for  its  ministerial  material, 
and  at  the  present  time  a  special  effort  is  being  made 
to  establish  a  training  institution  or  college  for 
native  students  in  the  service  of  God.  It  is  in- 
tended very  appropriately  to  call  this  a  memorial 
to  the  late  Bishop  Crowther.  Nothing  could  be  more 
appropriate  to  his  memory  or  more  in  accordance 
with  his  own  wishes  if  he  could  be  consulted.  Arch- 
deacon Crowther  has  already  visited  England  to  urge 
the  claims  of  this  project  upon  the  churches  at  home. 
When  this  is  done  men  will  go  from  its  doors,  not 
only  with  a  zeal  for  extending  the  blessings  of  Christi- 
anity to  the  tribes  of  heathen  to  which  it  is  as  yet 
a  stranger,  but  by  proper  qualification  they  will  be 
able  to  exercise  a  wise  development  of  the  churches 
already  established  in  the  Delta  Pastorate.  The 
Church  is  from  time  to  time  stimulated  by  seasons 
of  genuine  revival,  when,  as  in  the  Okrika  Church, 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW   395 

in  1906,  there  is  a  quickening  of  spiritual  life,  which 
becomes  a  permanent  blessing.  There  is  a  bright 
outlook  in  the  mission  districts  of  the  Delta,  and 
there  is  much  need  for  more  translation  work.  The 
claims  of  the  coming  generation  are  not  forgotten, 
and  special  interest  attaches  to  the  important  work 
among  young  native  girls  undertaken  by  Mrs. 
Crowther,  the  wife  of  the  Archdeacon.  In  one  of  the 
villages  in  the  Ora  district,  in  the  care  of  a  native 
evangelist,  a  recent  report  stated  that  the  greater 
number  of  the  young  people  were  turning  towards 
Christianity,  and  some  have  learnt  to  read  the  Bible 
in  the  Yoruba  language.  From  time  to  time  some  of 
the  converts  from  Opobo  make  excursions  into  the 
interior  to  carry  the  Gospel  and  establish  outposts 
among  the  heathen,  who  are  still  living  in  dense  dark- 
ness and  superstition.  The  Delta  Pastorate  Church 
has  a  great  work  before  it,  and  many  difficulties  to 
overcome  ;  but  it  is  going  forward,  wisely  directed  by 
its  leaders,  and  trusting  in  God  for  ultimate  success 
and  blessing. 

Other  missions,  which  mostly  owe  their  origin  to 
the  faith  and  work  of  Bishop  Crowther,  are  the  Yoruba 
Mission,  the  Niger  Mission,  which  has  of  recent  years 
been  divided  into  Northern  and  Southern  divisions, 
comprising  the  work  of  the  Church  Missionary  Society 
in  Nigeria.  In  many  parts  self-supporting,  with  African 
pastors,  under  the  direction  of  European  missionaries, 
having  the  oversight  of  the  churches,  with  district 
councils  for  local  management. 

Wherever  the  native  missionaries  go  the  old  chiefs 


396    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

repeat  the  common  observation  that  they  are  too  old  to 
give  up  their  rehgion,  even  if  their  gods  are  but  dumb 
idols ;  the  coming  generation  may  perhaps  take  with 
profit  the  Christian  religion.  But  in  other  instances 
those  who  came  under  the  power  of  the  Gospel  were 
not  afraid  of  going  all  the  way  in  putting  away  their 
idols.  At  a  place  called  Abo  Fowole,  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Ibadan,  the  missionary  gives  a  case  in  point, 
where  an  old  Shango  worshipper,  accepting  Christianity, 
said  he  would  destroy  his  gods.  He  sent  his  children 
to  bring  them  out,  but  they  dared  not  venture,  so  he 
went  into  the  idol  house  himself  and  brought  them  to 
the  missionary — a  calabash  full  of  innocent-looking 
stones,  which  were  supposed  to  be  thunderbolts,  also 
a  curious  thing  like  a  bowler  hat,  with  a  rim  top  and 
bottom,  which  was  his  odufa  to  hold  his  if  a  nuts  and 
charms.  Then  he  went  to  the  village  and  began  to 
clear  away  the  devil  stones,  but  a  woman  remonstrated, 
as  she  said  one  of  the  devils  belonged  to  her  husband. 
But  the  old  man  straightway  assured  her  that  if  her 
man  wanted  a  devil  he  must  place  it  somewhere  else, 
for  he  was  master  of  this  compound,  and  would  have 
no  more  of  that  rubbish  there. 

Every  missionary  has  to  contend  with  the  secret 
societies  which  are  such  a  terror  to  the  people.  There 
is  a  fraternity  among  the  heathen  priests  called  Oqu- 
negba,  which  is  mainly  responsible  for  many  of  the 
religious  observances,  and  arranges  the  ordeal  of 
poison.  Another  is  the  Ijamo,  about  which  one  of 
the  missionaries  says  :  "  This  council  of  aged  senators 
meets  every  nine  days,  but  all  their  agenda  and  pro- 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    397 

ceedings  are  kept  secret.  They  are  looked  upon  as 
the  conservators  of  their  country's  original  integrity. 
All  laws  made  by  them  are  implicitly  obeyed  through- 
out the  country,  however  objectionable  or  ruinous  is 
their  effect  upon  the  nation.  Many  of  the  frightful 
abominations,  stamped  out  of  other  countries  by 
British  influences,  are  still  practised  among  the  Ijamos, 
especially  in  connection  with  the  burial  of  their  mem- 
bers. All  responsible  chiefs  of  the  land,  to  become 
accredited,  must  join  the  famous  Ijamo  fraternity  as 
members." 

The  Southern  division  of  the  Niger  mission  before 
mentioned  deals  chiefly  with  the  Ibo  and  the  Ijo 
tribes.  Three-fourths  of  the  whole  Protectorate,  in- 
cluding Yoruba,  speak  the  tongue  of  the  first-men- 
tioned people.  In  1857  Crowther  opened  a  station  at 
Onitsha,  and  its  jubilee  has  been  recently  celebrated 
under  the  very  tamarisk  tree  which  he  planted. 
Great  changes  have  taken  place  since  he  came  as 
pioneer  there  on  his  journeys  up  the  Niger.  It  is 
now  a  populous  town,  and  the  trading  factories 
are  a  feature  of  its  river  front.  An  excellent  work 
is  being  done  amongst  the  native  girls  by  training 
schools  and  homes,  but  it  is  difficult  sometimes 
to  get  them  in,  as  they  are  betrothed  at  an  early 
age  to  men  for  a  monetary  consideration.  And  a 
child  of  ten  will  give  as  a  reason  for  not  coming 
to  school  that  her  husband  objects  !  Heathenism 
is  never  far  away.  A  few  miles  from  Onitsha  it 
is  still  possible  to  find  a  sick  man  with  a  large 
idol  over  his  head,  its  feet  tied,  and  a  bandage  over 


398   THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

its  mouth  to  prevent  it  from  killing  him.  At  Asaba, 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Niger,  there  is  a  useful 
station  doing  good  work,  although  having  in  the 
past  to  struggle  against  many  difficulties.  At  the 
back  of  this  lies  the  Benin  country,  which  stretches 
across  to  the  Yoruba  district,  a  very  dark  land,  with  a 
people  still  joined  to  their  idols.  The  native  pastor  at 
Idumuje  Ugboko  speaks  hopefully  of  the  work  among 
the  young,  but  laments  that  many  of  the  old  men  give 
up  going  to  church  when  they  find  it  involves  loss. 
In  this  district  the  native  probationers  find  a  useful 
sphere  of  work. 

The  course  of  the  Niger  is  partly  through  the  Ibo 
country,  and  the  lower  portion  of  this  comprises  the 
Delta  Pastorate  sphere  of  action  ;  but  the  interior  has 
not  yet  been  occupied  for  missionary  work.  It  is 
perhaps  the  most  interesting  portion  of  Southern 
Nigeria.  At  one  time,  too,  it  was  well  populated,  but  the 
ravages  of  the  slave  trade  have  swept  away  many  of 
its  people  and  reduced  its  busy  towns  to  small  and 
insignificant  villages.  For  a  long  time  a  portion  of 
this  country,  the  Bende  district,  was  as  inaccessible 
to  Europeans  as  Tibet,  the  motive  being  possibly  lest 
the  slave  trade,  its  staple  industry,  should  be  inter- 
fered with,  and  also  to  preserve  the  fearful  power  and 
authority  of  the  Aro-Chuku  or  Long  Juju,  at  whose 
shrine  thousands  of  deluded  human  victims  had  been 
sacrificed.  At  last  the  enormity  of  this  wickedness 
reached  its  limit,  and  the  British  Government  sent 
an  expedition  into  the  country  and  avenged  the  in- 
human slaughter  of  eight  hundred  women  and  children 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    399 

by  Abams  and  Arons.  Then  followed  the  destruc- 
tion of  this  horrid  shrine,  with  its  cave  of  divination 
and  pools  of  sacred  fish.  And  when  Bishop  James 
Johnson  visited  the  place  in  1903  he  found  little  left 
but  the  dense  bush  at  the  foot  of  a  declivity  to  mark 
the  spot  where  for  generations  human  life  had  been 
wantonly  sacrificed.  So  great  was  this  dread  of  a 
bloodthirsty  divinity  that  even  as  far  as  Benin  and 
Dahomey  reverence  was  duly  paid  to  it.  Its  priests, 
a  set  of  cruel  cut-throats,  were  promptly  deported  by 
Government  to  Calabar.  So  here  again  in  this  fine 
country  the  oft-quoted  line  is  true,  and  "  only  man  is 
vile."  There  is  plenty  of  water,  the  villages  nestle 
under  the  graceful  branches  of  the  palm  and  banana 
trees,  the  cocoanut  palms  offering  everywhere  an 
abundance  of  refreshment ;  and  when  the  rainy  season 
is  over  sweet  water  can  be  obtained  by  tapping  the 
tree  known  in  Yoruba  as  aga.  The  people  are  wild 
and  savage  ;  their  dress  a  handkerchief  cloth,  the 
boys  and  girls  nothing  at  all ;  the  women  painting 
the  skin  of  each  other's  bodies  with  strange  devices  ; 
and  both  sexes  are  fond  of  tattooing  their  foreheads. 
In  one  respect  amongst  many  there  is  urgent  need  of 
the  uplifting  power  of  Christianity,  for  the  men  are 
lazy  drones,  quite  content  to  see  the  women  do  all  the 
work.  Where  nature  provides  the  daily  commissariat 
free  of  charge  or  exertion,  the  menkind  of  the  nation 
are  all  of  the  unemployed  class,  and  like  some  of  their 
brethren  elsewhere  of  whiter  complexions,  they  prefer 
to  remain  so,  and  it  is  said  that  often  the  British 
Government  have  considerable  difficulty  to  engage 
them  for  service  as  porters. 


400    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

One  of  their  curious  customs  is  to  live  in  compounds, 
comprising  households  of  from  fifty  to  five  hundred 
persons,  relatives  and  domestic  slaves.     Within  these 
walls  there  is  some  idea  of  order,  a  chief,  when  neces- 
sary assisted  by  sub-chiefs,  acting  as  authority,  and 
there  is  always  a  reception-room  set  apart  for  visitors, 
and  a  club-house  garnished  with  as  much  ornamenta- 
tion as  the  means  or  fancy  will  allow,  where  the  male 
members  of  the  community  assemble  from  time  to 
time  to  discuss  and  perhaps  quarrel  over  their  various 
family  and  national  affairs.     For  these  people  are  too 
cruel  in  their  customs  to  keep  anything  like  peace 
within  their  borders.     They  are  fond  of  a  fight,  and 
British  officers  who  have  had  to  face  them  say  that 
they  never  seem  to  know  when  they  are  beaten.     In 
spite  of  our  Protectorate  there  is  no  doubt  that  canni- 
balism still  prevails  in  many  districts.     It  is  part  of 
their  war  usage.     They  consider  their  triumph  over 
their  enemies  is  only  complete  when  they  have  eaten 
them.     They  glory  in  their  power  to  take  human  hfe, 
and  hang  up  the  skulls  of  their  victims  as  trophies  of 
honour.     Here  the  practice  of  twin  infanticide  pre- 
vails to  a  frightful  degree.     Not  only  are  such  un- 
happy Httle  ones  killed  outright,  but  the  mother  for 
the  offence  is  driven  away,  never  allowed  to  visit  a 
market,  or  walk  a  road  used  by  the  pubhc.     Bishop 
James  Johnson  when  in  this  district  paid  a  visit  to  one 
of  the  hamlets  of  such  miserable  women  in  the  Azurim 
neighbourhood  and  found  five  poor  creatures  who  had 
been  twin  mothers,  and  had  suffered  banishment  with 
the  loss  of  their  little  ones.     He  tells  us  a  very  pathetic 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW   401 

story  :  "  There  was  an  old  and  very  grey-headed 
woman  among  them.  She  did  not  remember  how 
long  she  had  lived  in  that  hamlet,  but  she  knew  that 
she  was  a  young  twin  mother  when  she  was  driven 
away  from  her  home  and  sent  there,  and  that  she  had 
lived  there  all  her  life  since  under  these  conditions. 
They  were  all  very  sad.  Tears  fell  from  the  eyes  of 
one  of  them  as  I  endeavoured  to  comfort  them  in  their 
disconsolate  state  and  hold  out  to  them  some  hope  of 
a  change  for  the  better  by  and  by,  especially  as  the 
country  was  gradually  coming  under  active  British 
protection.  This  seemed  to  them  impossible,  and 
their  looks  asked  the  question  despairingly,  "  Will 
this  ever  be  ?  " 

There  is  only  space  left  to  record  some  features  of 
the  religious  belief  of  these  people,  for  after  the  fashion 
of  the  heathen  they  form  a  combination  of  cruelty  and 
piety.  The  Bishop  already  quoted  has  taken  pains 
to  ascertain  in  what  direction  and  how  far  their  native 
worship  extends.  They  have  a  clear  idea  of  a  Supreme 
Being,  to  Whom  all  their  prayers  are  directed,  and  to 
Whom,  looking  towards  the  sky,  they  offer  their 
sacrifices  with  open  hands.  His  name  is  "  Chineke," 
from  Chi,  the  Supreme  Being,  and  eke,  a  market  day, 
and  neke,  to  divide  ;  that  is,  the  Great  Being  Who 
divides  unto  us  our  lots  in  life.  There  are,  of  course, 
subordinate  divinities,  as  "  Njoku,"  the  god  of  the 
yams,  and  many  evil  spirits  who  have  to  be  conciliated. 
It  is  remarkable  that  of  this  great  Deity  they  have  no 
image  or  idol.  The  Bishop  says :  "  When,  as  I 
noticed  at  the  entrance  of  one  of  their  villages  a  large 


402    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

collection  of  offerings,  some  on  the  ground,  others  on 
erections,  and  a  very  young  chicken  suspended  alive 
on  a  rope  that  bound  a  small  tree  to  another  at  some 
distance  from  it,  I  asked  some  of  the  villagers  what 
their  object  of  worship  was,  and  to  whom  these  offer- 
ings were  made,  they  replied,  with  evident  surprise 
at  the  question,  '  Whom  should  we  worship  but  the 
Being  Who  has  made  us,  and  Who  owns  the  world  ?  ' 
striking  the  earth  with  the  palms  of  their  hands  out 
of  reverence  for  the  great  Being,  and  pointing  their 
fingers  to  the  sky  as  the  place  of  his  special  residence." 
It  only  remains  to  add  that  these  people  believe  in  a 
future  state  of  blessedness,  called  "  Eligwe,"  and 
another  of  misery  for  the  wicked.  Under  these 
circumstances  it  seems  obvious  that  with  all  their 
wickedness  they  are  not  far  from  a  true  conception  of 
God,  and  therefore  the  missionary  has  something  to 
work  on  when  he  takes  to  them  the  illuminating  and 
saving  truths  of  Christianity.  It  is  fifty  years  since 
Bishop  Crowther  first  preached  the  Gospel  to  the  Ibos, 
and  left  Taylor  at  Onitsha  to  translate  the  Bible  and 
instruct  the  converts. 

Now  there  are  thirty  stations  near,  eight  churches 
are  included  in  the  Ibo  Pastorate,  supporting  their 
own  ministers,  while  three  or  four  churches  have  their 
"  own  missionary  "  to  the  regions  beyond.  Figures 
are  not  always  the  best  estimate  of  success,  but  in 
this  comparison  of  past  and  present  we  note  that 
37  native  pastors  are  preaching  in  the  Ibo  language, 
that  1700  are  professed  Christians,  and  438  are 
regular   communicants ;     last,   not    least,   in   the   28 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    403 

schools  about  2000  scholars  are  being  trained  and 
taught  for  the  life  present  and  the  life  to  come.  In 
the  opinion  of  a  thoughtful  C.M.S.  missionary,  to 
whom  we  are  indebted  for  much  valuable  data  on  this 
subject,  while  these  results  are  very  encouraging,  there 
is  much  still  to  be  done  among  the  Ibos,  and  he  does 
not  fear  difficulties  from  those  quarters  and  for  those 
reasons  commonly  adduced.  His  judgment  is  of 
service  as  that  of  an  eye-witness,  and  deserves  a  per- 
manent record  in  these  pages. 

As  regards  the  future  of  the  Gospel  (he  says)  amongst  these 
interesting  people  we  have  good  reason  to  believe  that  the 
time  is  ripe  for  widespread  sowing,  in  the  strong  hopeful 
expectation  of  an  abundant  harvest  speedily.  I  do  not  think 
it  is  polygamy  or  the  drink  question,  mighty  evils  though  they 
be,  that  hinders  the  growth,  nor  do  I  think  it  is  the  influx 
of  Mohammedanism  and  the  domestic  slavery  so  closely 
associated  with  it  which  are  given  as  reasons  why  Christianity 
makes  headway  so  slowly.  Still  less  would  I  accept  the  reason 
of  slow  progress  given  that  Christianity  is  unsuitable  for  the 
needs  of  the  African  as  affected  by  the  physical,  social,  and 
climatic  conditions  of  his  mind  and  environment.  Certainly 
none  of  these  reasons  apply  to  the  Ibos.  Moreover,  all  these 
theories  limit  the  ef&cacy  of  the  Gospel  and  the  healing  and 
recreative  power  of  Jesus  Christ,  whereas  we  have  seen  with 
our  eyes  and  can  testify  that  the  Gospel  is  "  the  power  of  God 
unto  salvation  "  amongst  these  people.  Rather  is  the  slow 
rate  of  expansion  due  to  paucity  of  workers.  It  must  always 
be  remembered  that  one-third  of  the  European  staff  are 
always  on  furlough  or  sick  leave,  and  thus  the  continuity  of 
the  work  is  sadly  interrupted.  From  the  results  of  the  last 
ten  years  or  so  one  is  almost  prepared  to  say  that  given  the 
same  number  of  workers  actually  in  the  field,  with  the  same 
continuity  of  service  we  should  see  almost  as  great  results  on 
the  Lower  Niger  as  we  see  in  Uganda,  provided,  of  course, 
that  there  be  earnest  and  unceasing  prayer  "  that  the  same 
Spirit  be  outpoured  in  all  abundance,  operating  to  the  con- 
version of  the  heathen,  to  be  followed  by  real  consecrative  and 
enthusiastic  service." 


404   THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

As  regards  Northern   Nigeria  the  work  has  many 
difficulties,  but  the  missionaries  are  valiantly  holding  on. 
It  would  have  gladdened  the  heart  of  the  old  Bishop 
to  have  seen  the  celebration  last  year  of  the  fifth  year  of 
the  Lokoja  Native  Pastorate  Church,  and  to  note  the 
efforts  at  Bida  and  elsewhere  being  made  to  teach  the 
boys.     At  Mokwa,  the  last  new  station  of  the  Nupe 
country,  the  Sunday  services  are  well  attended,  and 
the  Sunday-school  is  making  slow  but  sure  progress. 
Household  slavery  is  not  yet  abolished  in  Northern 
Nigeria,  and  this  is  a  hindrance  to  the  work.     But  the 
greatest  difficulty  is  Mohammedanism,  and  this  pre- 
vents progress  among  the  Hausas,  who  are  so  inteUi- 
gent.     This  fine  race,  superior  in  many  respects  to  the 
tribes  inhabiting  other  parts  of  Nigeria,  and  capable 
of    so    much    discipline  —  making    excellent    soldiers 
and  policemen — are  still  a  difficult  and  disappointing 
ground  for  Christian  work.     This  is  chiefly  owing  to 
the  power  of  Islam,  and  even  medical  agency,  which 
rarely  fails  to  find  some  appreciation  on  the  part  of 
the  natives,   cannot   get   a  constituency   here.     The 
natives   are    quite    satisfied  with    the    prescriptions 
given  by  their  mallams,  consisting  of  strips  of  parch- 
ment with  words  from  the  Koran,  as  charms  when 
they  are  taken  sick.     They  also  cling  tenaciously  to 
primitive  and  old-fashioned  ideas,  and  it  is  amazing 
to  think  that  they  will  deHberately  refuse  the  skill  of 
trained   Christian    doctors,    preferring   to   have   their 
teeth  drawn  by  the  village  blacksmith  with  the  aid 
of  red-hot  skewers,  and  have  great  faith  in  the  native 
barbers,  who  bleed  or  tattoo  their  patients  according 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    405 

to  their  choice  and  means  of  payment.  It  must  be 
admitted  that  the  results  of  the  work  in  Northern 
Nigeria  are  disappointing.  What  is  to  be  done  in  this 
fine  country,  among  a  people  of  such  capacity  and 
promise,  is  a  problem  not  to  be  solved  without  patient 
and  persevering  effort.  One  statement  made  by  a 
missionary  as  to  the  religious  position  at  Kutigi  and 
Mokwa,  within  easy  reach  of  Bida,  is  worth  quoting. 
These  natives,  like  many  others,  possess  a  very  mixed 
religion  of  Mohammedanism  and  heathenism,  which  can 
hardly  be  a  credit  to  the  former,  with  its  pretensions 
to  elevating  the  heathen.  "  The  people,"  he  says, 
"with  few  exceptions  are  farmers,  and  although  all 
take  part  in  Mohammedan  rites  and  festivals,  fully 
one-third  join  in  heathen  feasts.  About  one-third 
regularly  go  through  the  Mohammedan  daily  prayers, 
the  remainder  doing  nothing  except  at  festival  seasons, 
when  they  join  in  with  whatever  is  going  on,  either 
heathen  or  otherwise  ;  they  are  quite  willing  to  join 
in  our  Christian  rejoicings  also.  Beer  and  palm  wine 
drinking  are  indulged  in  to  excess  by  all  at  times,  the 
latter  by  the  Mohammedans." 

Another,  writing  from  Bida,  says :  "  The  work 
among  these  Mohammedans  is  terribly  difficult  ;  there 
is  no  open  opposition,  no  argument,  nothing  but  sheer 
indifference."  It  is  something  much  more  in  the  Ijebu 
country  behind  Lagos,  as  the  missionary  tells  us  "  there 
have  not  been  for  some  years  past  such  accessions  from 
heathenism  to  Christianity  as  formerly,  because  the 
people  all  flock  to  Mohammedanism,  which  has  become 
the   popular   and   predominant   religion."     A   native 


4o6    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

pastor  draws  attention  to  the  advance  of  Islam  from 
the  north  with  some  concern.  "  The  force  gathers," 
he  says,  "  it  behoves  us  to  be  on  the  watch  that  we 
may  keep  the  foe  at  bay."  A  distinguished  observer, 
conversant  with  Nigeria  past  and  present,  is  of  opinion 
that  Islam  and  not  heathenism  is  the  force  to  be 
reckoned  with  by  the  missionaries  in  that  country. 
Missionaries  returning  to  their  old  fields  of  labour 
in  Nigeria  are  startled  by  the  rapid  increase  of  the 
religion  of  the  False  Prophet,  not  only  in  the  interior, 
but  at  the  ports  on  the  coastline. 

*'  The  Propaganda  of  Islam  "  was  one  of  the  subjects 
discussed  at  the  great  Pan-Anglican  Conference  held 
in  London  in  1908.  And  it  has  been  elsewhere  stated 
that  unless  some  special  effort  is  made  to  repel  this  quiet 
but  sweeping  attack  of  the  emissaries  of  Islam,  the 
native  conscience  and  loyalty  will  be  almost  entirely 
captured  by  the  Crescent  instead  of  the  Cross.  What 
shall  we  say  then  of  this  difficulty  of  the  Mohammedan 
progress  among  the  heathen  ?  It  goes  without  say- 
ing that  the  conquest  of  the  heathen  by  Christianity 
is  by  no  means  achieved  in  this  country.  After  all 
the  labours  of  weary  and  incessant  years,  it  must  be 
admitted  that  only  the  fringe  of  the  dark  multitude  of 
these  natives  has  been  touched  or  even  brought  into 
earshot  of  the  merciful  tidings  of  salvation.  The 
wheels  of  the  chariot  move  slowly,  the  ground  is  heavy 
and  obstructive,  and  no  true  missionary  boasts  of  easy 
progress.  Milhons  in  Nigeria  know  less  of  the  Cross 
than  of  the  British  flag.  As  a  nation  we  govern  them 
by  a  rule  of  which  the  majority  have  never  heard. 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    407 

As  a  Church  we  have  brought  the  hght  of  Divine  Uberty 
here  and  there,  but  for  the  great  hinterland  of  super- 
stition we  have  done  little  more  than  pray.  The 
field,  from  a  purely  pagan  point  of  view,  is  ripening 
unto  the  harvest. 

On  the  other  hand,  especially  as  regards  Northern 
Nigeria,  it  is  Islam  blocks  the  way.  Comparatively 
speaking  there  is  little  improvement  in  the  position 
during  recent  years.  Many  things  have  happened 
since  the  days  of  Bishop  Crowther,  and  the  difficulty 
of  dealing  with  the  Mohammedans  is  even  more  acute 
than  when  he,  and  other  pioneers,  worked  so  zealously 
and  with  such  patience  for  their  welfare.  He  may 
not  have  done  much,  but  he  succeeded  at  any  rate  in 
establishing  an  entente  cordiale  with  the  royal  and 
religious  leaders  of  Islam,  who  were  willing  to  listen 
to  the  Arabic  Bible,  and  even  discuss  the  great  truths 
of  Christianity  without  provocation.  His  aim,  as  we 
have  seen,  was  to  win  their  respect  and  attention,  and 
then  lead  them  through  Holy  Scripture  and  public 
services  to  the  acceptance  of  the  truth.  He  proposed 
no  weak  compromises,  he  gave  no  quarter  to  polygamy 
and  other  practices,  and  recognized  to  his  native  clergy 
the  immense  difficulty  of  success. 

In  the  past  history  of  the  work  on  the  Niger,  in  spite 
of  many  disadvantages,  there  was  evidently  a  more 
wilHng  spirit  on  the  part  of  the  Moslems  to  Hsten  to 
the  missionary  than  to-day.  Conferences  were  held, 
at  which  a  very  serious  spirit  of  inquiry  was  mani- 
fested. One  instance  of  this  may  be  recalled  at  this 
point.     At  Lokoja  a  Christian  missionary  was  sitting 


4o8    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

in  the  midst  of  a  number  of  Moslems,  discussing  very 
earnestly  one  afternoon  the  insufficiency  of  the  Koran 
as  compared  with  the  Bible.  The  missionary  laid 
down  his  Arabic  Bible  and  proceeded  to  say  : 

Well,  if  what  we  have  told  you  is  the  law  of  God,  which 
He  says  must  be  fulfilled  if  we  are  to  enter  heaven,  what  are 
you  going  to  do,  you  who  do  not  profess  to  have  kept  the 
laws  of  heaven  ?  "  Ah  !  we  trust  in  the  mercy  of  God." 
Not  so.  You  call  it  His  mercy,  but  you  are  really  trusting  to 
the  untruthfulness  of  God.  You  are  hoping  that  at  the  Judg- 
ment Day  God  will  rise  up  before  all  men  and  say  :  "  O  men, 
I  have  indeed  made  a  mistake.  I  said  by  the  mouth  of  My 
prophets  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  all  who  should 
enter  My  home  should  keep  certain  laws,  should  render  a 
certain  amount  of  service  to  Me  and  their  fellow-men.  I  find 
now  that  My  law  was  too  strict.  I  find  that  many  persons 
who  refused  to  obey  it  are  nevertheless  very  good  people  to 
put  into  heaven.  So  I  take  away  My  law  ;  I  made  a  mistake 
in  making  it  at  the  first."     So  you  hope  God  will  say. 

The  Yorubas  were  silent  for  a  moment,  and  the  Hausas 
pressed  them  for  an  answer,  and  seemed  somewhat  impressed 
at  no  answer  being  forthcoming.  Their  leader  then  said  : 
"  Let  all  keep  silence.  I  have  a  weighty  question  to  ask.  If 
all  the  prophets,  as  you  have  told,  need  that  the  Messiah 
should  do  their  service  for  them  and  should  take  their  punish- 
ment, what  is  to  be  done  for  us  who  are  worthless  to  God  as 
the  grass  of  the  field  ?  " 

The  missionary  answered  : 

"  Was  not  the  slaying  of  the  Messiah  a  great  enough  thing 
to  teach  all  heaven  and  earth  how  God  hates  sin  ?  Would 
your  being  destroyed  teach  men  any  more  about  the  wicked- 
ness of  sin  than  they  know  already,  when  they  have  heard 
that  the  Great  Messiah  died  for  it  ?  His  death  covers  the  past ; 
the  road  to  heaven  is  now  open  to  you  too." 

The  Hausa  paused,  for  he  was  thinking  very  solemnly 
upon  the  matter,  and  then,  looking  up,  he  quietly  said  : 

"  Now,  I  want  a  straight  answer  to  a  straight  question. 
The  Messiah  has  done  all  this  for  men.  What  can  we  do  to 
become  saved  ?  " 

This  was  the  missionary's  opportunity,  and  with  a  full 
heart  he  answered  : 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    409 

"  Trust  yourself  to  Him,  become  His  people,  go  down  to 
the  town  ;  tell  them  you  thank  God  for  the  Messiah  who  has 
opened  heaven  to  you,  that  they  too  must  submit  to  Him  and 
become  His  people." 

All  was  silence  for  a  few  moments,  the  Mohammedans  were 
slowly  weighing  these  words  in  the  balance.  Presently  their 
leading  speaker  exclaimed  : 

"  Now,  tell  where  do  these  two  roads  of  the  Messiah  and 
Mohammed  meet  ?  " 

"  They  never,  never  meet.  If  one  leads  into  the  light,  it 
is  equally  certain  the  other  leads  to  darkness." 

All  rose  together,  and,  leading  the  missionary  to  the  corner 
of  the  verandah,  whence  a  straight  road  led  to  the  town,  the 
chief  Hausa  said  : 

"  We  love  you  for  the  words  you  tell  us  ;  it  is  as  though 
you  stood  here  on  a  height  and  saw  the  straight  road,  and 
watched  all  of  us  wandering  in  the  long  grass  on  either  side 
and  you  shout  to  us,  saying  :  '  Turn  back  !  turn  back  !  You 
are  straying  from  the  path  ;  there  it  is  leading  straight  to  the 
town ! '    Thus  you  are  doing  to  us  every  day." 

This  conversation  exhibits  the  mental  attitude  of 
both  teacher  and  taught,  and  one  can  readily  join  in 
the  expressed  desire  of  the  missionary  at  the  close 
of  the  interview  :  "  God  grant  that  these  first  early 
signs  of  hope  may  quickly  ripen  into  believing  and 
being  baptized,  which  we  tell  them  is  an  essential 
part  of  our  commission." 

The  issue  is  of  perennial  interest,  and  perhaps 
deserves  even  more  attention  to-day  than  it  obtains 
in  missionary  circles.  One  might  safely  affirm  that 
in  any  meeting  it  is  easier  to  excite  enthusiasm  over 
a  naked  savage  with  his  idol  and  his  fetish  than  the 
white-robed  Moslem  with  his  praying  carpet.  It  may 
be  easily  urged  that  the  latter  is  obviously  more  en- 
lightened than  the  former,  but  it  is  equally  true  that 
the  creed  of  Islam  is  insufficient  and  unsatisfactory, 


410    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

and  is,  moreover,  the  sworn  enemy  of  Christianity. 
Of  course  it  has  its  able  apologists  among  those  who 
argue  that  one  religion  is  as  good  as  another,  and  that 
this  for  practical  purposes  is  better,  and  who  are  also 
anxious  to  protect  it  from  interference  on  grounds  of 
political  expediency. 

In  one  particular  at  least,  as  regards  Nigeria,  Islam 
has  not  the  advantage  she  once  possessed  in  making 
converts — the  weapon  of  force  can  no  longer  be  used. 
Under  the  British  flag  full  liberty  is  allowed  for  any 
rehgion  which  does  not  menace  the  laws  of  order  and 
humanity.  Therefore  no  tyranny  of  cruel  compulsion 
or  ill  treatment  in  retaliation  or  punishment  is  per- 
mitted. It  is  the  fashion  in  some  quarters  to-day  to 
conveniently  forget  that  the  propagation  of  Islam 
has  been  a  reign  of  terror,  but  the  history  of  this  fate- 
ful creed  is  the  story  of  ruthless  bloodshed,  extermina- 
tion and  conversion  by  the  scimitar.  Even  in  the 
annals  of  West  African  mission  work  we  have  adduced 
evidence  enough  of  persecution  endured  to  the  death 
by  Christian  natives  from  the  hands  of  their  Moham- 
medan masters.  It  is  unnecessary  to  go  further  back 
to  record  the  unparalleled  atrocities  which  mark  the 
subjugation  of  the  Hausa  race  by  the  fanatical  jehads 
of  the  Fulanis. 

All  this  state  of  things  is  over  now,  and  the  natives 
walk  no  longer  in  fear  of  Mohammedans,  although, 
where  Christianity  has  not  revealed  something  better, 
they  still  regard  them  as  persons  of  superior  know- 
ledge, which  is  true.  But  though  the  sword  is  sheathed 
and  cannot  reap  its  thousands  as  of  old,  Islam  is  not 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    411 

neglecting  the  milder  method  of  persuasion.  Among 
the  sects  of  Islam  that  of  the  Quadriyah  order  of 
missionaries  holds  a  very  important  place.  It  was 
founded  in  the  eleventh  century,  and  introduced  into 
West  Africa  as  far  back  as  the  fifteenth  century. 
They  might  be  termed  the  Jesuits  of  Islam.  It  is 
their  practice  to  come  as  peaceful  strangers  to  pagan 
towns  and  villages,  to  gain  influence,  render  themselves 
of  service  as  possessing  education,  and  make  a  special 
point  of  securing  the  favour  of  the  king,  chief,  or  any 
ruling  authority.  Missionaries  refer  to  these  visits  to- 
day, and  indicate  how  from  the  northern  districts 
streams  of  Moslem  influence  are  quietly  but  surely 
affecting  the  natives  of  the  Delta.  They  describe  how 
at  first  the  Moslem  missionary  begins  by  marking  his 
prayer  place  with  stones,  and  later  on  replaces  these 
with  strips  of  split  bamboo.  But  the  best  description 
of  one  of  these  missionaries  is  given  in  Mr.  Morel's 
valuable  work,  "  Affairs  of  West  Africa,"  which  we 
venture  to  quote  on  this  page.  He  states  that  Dr. 
Blyden  told  him  the  story  when  relating  how  one  of 
the  large  pagan  towns  was  proselytized  to  Moham- 
medanism. 

On  a  certain  day  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  observed  a 
man,  black  like  themselves,  but  clad  in  a  white  garment, 
advancing  down  the  main  street.  Suddenly  the  stranger 
prostrated  himself  and  prayed  to  Allah.  The  natives  stoned 
him  and  he  departed.  In  a  little  while  he  returned  and 
prostrated  himself  as  before.  This  time  he  was  not  stoned, 
but  the  men  gathered  about  him  with  mockery  and  reviling. 
The  men  spat  upon  him  and  the  women  hurled  insults  and 
abuse.  His  prayer  ended,  the  stranger  went  away  in  silence, 
grave  and  austere,  seemingly  oblivious  to  his  unsympathetic 
surroundings.     For  a  space  he  did  not  renew  his  visit,  and 


412    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

in  the  interval  the  people  began  to  regret  their  rudeness. 
The  demeanour  of  the  stranger  under  trying  circumstances 
had  gained  their  respect.  A  third  time  he  came,  and  with 
him  two  boys,  also  clothed  in  white  garments.  Together  they 
knelt  and  offered  prayer.  The  natives  watched  and  forbore 
to  jeer.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  prayer  a  woman  came 
timidly  forward  and  pushed  her  young  son  towards  the  holy 
man,  then  as  rapidly  retreated.  The  Moslem  rose,  took  the 
boy  by  the  hand,  and,  followed  by  his  acolytes,  left  the  village 
in  silence  as  before.  When  he  came  again  he  was  accom- 
panied by  three  boys,  two  of  them  those  who  had  been  with 
him  before,  the  third  the  woman's  son,  clad  like  the  rest.  All 
four  fell  upon  their  knees,  the  holy  man  reciting  the  prayer  in 
a  voice  that  spoke  of  triumph  and  success.  He  never  left 
the  town  again,  for  the  people  crowded  round  him,  beseeching 
him  to  teach  their  children.  In  a  short  time  the  entire  popula- 
tion of  that  town,  which  for  three  centuries  had  beaten  back 
the  assaults  of  would-be  Moslem  converters  by  the  sword,  had 
voluntarily  embraced  Islam  ! 

It  has  been  said  in  explanation  of  the  easy  conquest 
of  such  a  people  by  Islam  that  it  must  be  borne  in 
mind  that  the  natives  of  the  lower  parts  of  Nigeria 
follow  Animism  as  their  religion,  and  that  they  have 
therefore  a  strong  inclination  of  mind  towards  any 
teaching  which  deals  with  spiritual  and  supernatural 
affairs.  The  appearance  of  this  holy  man  in  their 
midst,  although  in  the  first  instance  greeted  with 
ridicule  and  even  contempt,  soon  affects  them  as  they 
hear  him  praying  to  his  God,  one  who  seems  to  have 
a  knowledge  of  the  suppliant,  which  their  deities  do 
not  pretend  to  possess,  and  who  is  evidently  brought 
into  personal  relation  with  this  kneeling  man  in  white 
raiment.  This  grows  upon  them,  their  imagination  is 
excited,  they  are  hungry  for  more  knowledge,  and 
eventually  are  captivated  by  a  religion  which  they 
wiUingly  accept  in  preference  to  their  own. 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    413 

There  is  no  need  to  disguise  the  serious  character 
of  such  a  wholesale  success  of  Islam  as  in  the  case 
mentioned,  or  to  doubt  that  this  is  occurring  in  many 
parts  of  Nigeria,  and  will,  if  not  checked,  in  time  absorb 
the  greater  part  of  the  thirty  or  forty  millions  of  natives 
under  the  British  rule.  This  prospect  is  based  not 
only  upon  the  statements  of  writers  who  are  avowedly 
friendly  to  the  Moslem  creed,  but  from  independent 
testimony,  and  the  invaluable  evidence  of  the  mission- 
aries themselves.  If  this  be  so,  are  we  prepared  to 
accept  the  responsibility  of  the  conversion  of  Nigeria 
to  this  religion  under  our  own  eyes  ?  Stripped  of  its 
romance,  the  glamour  which  veils  so  much  in  Oriental 
life  and  story,  dare  we  hand  over  these  missions  to  a 
creed  which  is  condemned  by  the  judgment  of  history 
and  violently  opposed  to  the  most  sacred  principles 
of  the  Christian  faith  ?  Is  it  likely  to  elevate  the 
negro  and  develop  him  morally,  intellectually,  and 
spiritually,  as  Christianity  can  do  ?  Is  it  not  true,  as 
Wuttke  has  affirmed  in  his  system  of  ethics,  "  Islam 
is  to  be  regarded  as  an  attempt  of  heathenism  to  main- 
tain itself  erect  under  an  outward  monotheistic  form 
against  Christianity  "  ? 

In  fact  this  is  the  practical  issue,  and  it  must  be 
tested  by  the  evidence  of  history  and  present-day 
experience.  What  is  commonly  advanced  as  argu- 
ments in  favour  of  Islam  within  West  African  borders  ? 

It  is  declared  to  be  a  vital,  living,  and  progressive 
force,  in  contradiction  of  that  famous  passage  in 
Palgrave's  "  Arabia,"  which  affirms  :  "  Islamism  is 
in  itself  stationary,  and  was  framed  thus  to  remain  ; 


414    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

sterile  like  its  god,  lifeless  like  its  first  principle  in  all 
that  constitutes  life — for  life  is  love,  participation  and 
progress,  and  of  these  the  Coranic  deity  has  none." 
It  claims  to  have  imparted  to  the  negro  "  an  energy, 
a  dignity  and  self-respect  which  is  all  too  rarely  found 
in  their  pagan  or  their  Christian  countrymen."  We 
are  told  that  it  is  a  valuable  asset  in  the  political  settle- 
ment of  Nigeria,  everywhere  knitting  the  conquerors 
and  the  conquered  into  an  harmonious  whole,  and 
that  contrary  to  reputation  it  encourages  instruction 
and  even  promotes  chastity.  A  great  point  is  made 
of  the  prohibition  of  strong  drink  and  encouragement 
of  personal  cleanliness,  hospitality,  and  the  inculcation 
of  chastity  as  one  of  the  Jiighest  virtues.  It  is  even 
affirmed  that  it  is  the  teaching  of  Islam  develops  in  the 
African  character  that  rather  neglected  grace  of  in- 
dustry, and  creates  a  thirst  for  knowledge.  If  this 
could  be  safely  regarded  as  a  fair  and  impartial  picture 
of  the  possibilities  and  promise  of  Islam,  then  it  is  a 
veritable  evangel  for  the  West  African  people.  One 
might  even  then  think  there  would  be  some  little 
ground  for  the  contention  that  Mohammedanism  is  a 
benefit  to  Africa,  and  that,  compared  with  Christianity, 
she  has  done  more  for  the  well-being  of  that  land. 

But  is  this  so  ?  What  is  the  testimony  of  those 
on  the  spot  to-day  ?  We  are  told  that  the  religious 
standard  of  the  followers  of  Islam  is  not  a  very  high 
one,  and  from  a  point  of  intelligence  it  is  not  much  in 
advance  of  the  heathen.  And  this  is  a  very  moderate 
statement  of  the  case.  It  has  no  mosques  south  of  the 
Niger-Binue  Confluence.     There  seems  to  be  no  place 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    415 

of  worship,  and  the  utmost  is  the  place  of  prayer  marked 
out,  as  we  have  seen,  by  stones  and  pegs  of  split 
bamboo.  The  majority  of  these  easily  enclosed  con- 
verts to  the  Prophet's  fold  are  perfectly  satisfied  to 
follow  the  dictates  of  the  mallams  ;  they  do  not  exer- 
cise their  reasoning  faculties,  or  are,  indeed,  asked  so 
to  do,  and  the  religion  they  have  taken  over  largely 
consists  of  repeating  the  Arabic  prayers  at  the  ap- 
pointed hours.  They  do  not  understand.  They  can- 
not read  or  write.  The  Koran  to  them  is  a  sealed 
book,  except  so  far  as  it  is  represented  by  the  verses 
they  have  been  taught  to  commit  to  memory,  or  the 
scraps  which  are  written  on  strips  of  parchment  and 
sold  as  charms.  This  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  seeing 
that  the  mallams  themselves  are  not  very  well  in- 
structed. They  are  strict  in  the  letter  of  ceremonial, 
but  ignorant  of  some  of  the  tenets  of  their  faith. 
These  men  make  cheap  sport  of  the  superstition  of  the 
people,  and  scorn  them  for  their  fetish  worship,  but 
there  are  few  Mohammedans  who  are  not  wearing 
some  charm,  in  the  shape  of  an  amulet  of  Koran 
texts,  round  either  the  neck  or  the  waist. 

As  to  the  moral  elevation  of  the  negro  by  accepting 
Islam  there  is  grave  reason  for  doubt.  In  the  nature 
of  its  teaching  the  Koran  cannot  be  held  as  a  model  of 
morals.  It  allows  polygamy  and  concubinage  ;  its 
system  of  easy  divorce  is  subversive  of  domestic 
happiness.  It  degrades  woman,  reducing  her  to  a 
chattel,  and  with  such  a  pernicious  treatment  of  the 
sex  it  brings  no  new  element  of  happiness  in  the  home 
life  of  the  native,  to  whom,  amid  all  his  faults,  wife 


4i6    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

and  mother,  sister  and  daughter,  had  some  sense  of 
respect  and  even  sacredness. 

Lord  Cromer,  in  his  "  Modern  Egypt,"  contrasts 
the  teaching  of  the  Koran  with  its  depreciation  of 
woman  with  her  elevation  and  sanctity  in  Christian 
lands, 

"  The  Moslem,  on  the  other  hand,  despises  women ; 
both  his  religion  and  the  example  of  his  Prophet,  the 
history  of  whose  private  life  has  been  handed  down 
to  him,  tend  to  lower  them  in  his  eyes.  Save  in  ex- 
ceptional cases,  the  Christian  fulfils  the  vow  which 
he  has  made  to  his  wedded  wife  for  hfe.  The  Moslem, 
when  his  passion  is  sated,  can  if  he  Hkes  throw  off  his 
wife  like  an  old  glove." 

But  this  distinguished  authority  states  that  the 
present  enlightened  Egyptians  are  growing  more  in- 
clined to  monogamy  through  education,  contact  with 
Europeans,  and  its  evident  happiness. 

What  is  the  testimony  of  Dr.  Miller  on  this  point, 
from  his  personal  association  with  Moslem  influence 
in  Hausaland,  where,  up  to  the  present,  it  has  had 
its  own  way,  undisturbed  by  Christian  missions  ?  The 
quotation  is  from  a  paper  read  at  the  First  Missionary 
Conference  on  behalf  of  the  Mohammedan  world,  held 
at  Cairo  in  April,  1906. 

The  lack  of  home  life,  the  utter  prostitution  of  virtue,  the 
total  disregard  of  morals,  all  these  have  brought  a  moral  ruin 
to  the  people,  and  made  West  Africa  a  seething  sink  of  gross 
iniquity.  Woman,  although  allowed  much  more  freedom 
than  in  North  Africa,  is  nevertheless  the  "  thing "  of  men. 
Polygamy,  of  course,  is  the  law  ;  only  lack  of  wealth  prevents 
men   from   having   four   wives   and   as   many   concubines   as 


FOUR   NIGER    BISHOPS   OF   TO-DAY 


Bishop  James  Johnson  {Photo,  Russell  &•  Sons) 
The  late  Bishop  Phillips  (Photo,  Russell &■  S»hs) 


Bishop  OluWOLE  (Photo.  Russell  &■  Sons) 
Bishop  Tugwell  \Plwto,  Klliot  &■  Fry) 

To  face  page  416 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    417 

possible.  Divorce  for  anything  is  possible — a  quarrel,  sick- 
ness, infirmity,  poverty,  or  worse.  The  youngest  girls  are 
taught  the  worst  vices  ;  no  one  is  innocent,  none  pure.  Boys 
and  girls  grow  up  in  the  densest  atmosphere  of  sin,  where 
there  is  hardly  a  redeeming  feature,  and  this  all  under  the 
strictest  adherence  to  the  outward  laws  of  Islam. 

The  whited  sepulchre  is  full  of  bones.  Immorality  of 
every  sort  is  rife,  and  there  is  little  shame.  Adultery  and 
fornication  are  not  reduced  through  men  having  many  wives. 
It  is  rare  to  find  a  woman  past  the  prime  of  life  living  with 
her  husband.  One  would  therefore  expect  to  find  that  pro- 
gress is  ruled  out,  and  that  the  glance  is  backward,  not  for- 
ward, to  "  the  things  our  fathers  knew  and  did."  The  in- 
evitable fruits  of  a  slave-ridden  land — laziness,  oppression, 
dirt — have  fallen  upon  West  Africa,  and  only  where  Chris- 
tianity, as  in  Sierra  Leone,  Lagos,  etc.,  has  had  a  long  time  to 
affect  the  character  and  condition,  do  we  see  progress.  Islam 
has  not,  and  will  not,  in  West  Africa  do  anything  for  progress. 

One  of  the  strongest  points  urged  in  favour  of  Islam 
in  West  Africa  is  its  legal  abstinence  from  strong 
drink.  Undoubtedly  this  condition  of  the  creed 
places  the  Mohammedan  far  in  advance  of  the  native 
of  West  Africa,  who  is  not  naturally  a  drunkard,  but 
to  whom  the  importation  of  alcohol  has  proved  such 
a  curse.  It  is  stated  that  in  Southern  Nigeria  the 
Mohammedans  and  the  Christians  are  the  only  people 
who  restrain  themselves  from  this  fateful  habit.  But 
it  is  reported  that  this  vow  of  total  abstinence  which 
the  Kordn  enjoins  is  not  kept  so  consistently  as  it 
might  be. 

There  is  little  doubt  that  the  influence  of  the  Mo- 
hammedans has  tended  to  sharpen  the  wits  of  the 
natives.  We  are  told  that  in  the  matter  of  honesty 
there  is  little  to  choose  between  them.  In  his  original 
condition,  before  the  outside  world  had  reached  him, 
2  E 


4i8    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

the  native  was  not  difficult  to  deal  with,  but  since  then 
he  has  become  a  better  hand  at  settling  a  good  bargain. 
The  Mohammedan,  of  course,  considers  himself  superior 
in  both  knowledge  and  ability,  which  is  quite  excus- 
able, and  is  apt  to  take  advantage  in  business  matters, 
which  is  not  so  defensible.  Undoubtedly  this  superior 
position  affects  his  chances  of  success  in  trade.  With- 
out being  more  industrious  than  the  natives  he  can 
make  a  better  show  and  reap  a  larger  profit  than  they 
do.  The  natives,  for  instance,  in  Northern  Nigeria 
make  excellent  leather  goods.  But  while  they  are 
busy  manufacturing,  or  working  hard  upon  their 
farms,  or  cheerfully  toiling  as  porters  and  bearers  of 
burdens  at  the  ports,  the  Mohammedan  can  devote 
himself  to  trade  and  has  the  faculty  of  going  from 
place  to  place  to  pick  up  bargains  and  discover  the 
best  market  for  his  goods.  He  may  not  have  the 
physical  strength  or  even  energy  of  the  natives,  but 
making  money  being  his  one  object  in  life,  he  can  soon 
outstrip  his  native  competitors.  Every  Mohammedan 
in  West  Africa  is  engaged  in  trade  in  some  form  or 
other,  and  therefore  they  are  numerically  in  possession 
of  the  field,  whereas  only  a  certain  number  of  the  natives 
give  themselves  to  this  business.  It  must  be  borne 
in  mind  that  one  of  the  attractions  of  Islam  is  that 
when  a  native  accepts  this  creed  he  becomes  part  of  a 
widespread  fraternity,  with  many  advantages  as  re- 
gards commerce  amongst  other  things.  And  the 
difference  between  his  choice  of  Christianity  or  Islam 
is  that  the  former  involves  isolation  from  his  own 
people  and  bitter  persecution  from  the  aU-pervading 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    419 

Moslem  class,  whereas  in  the  latter  case  he  makes 
friends,  gains  status  and  importance. 

But  is  the  African  the  better  for  it  ?  In  his  valuable 
volume,  "  Hausaland,"  Canon  Robinson  quotes  Major 
Lugard  to  the  following  effect  as  referring  in  his  day 
to  that  district  of  Nigeria  and  the  country  behind 
Lagos : 

In  that  part  of  the  continent  there  are  teeming  populations, 
eager  to  purchase  our  cottons  and  our  hardware.  But  there, 
too,  the  barrier  of  exclusion,  due  in  this  case  to  Mohamme- 
danism, has  to  be  broken  down.  Over  vast  areas  of  West 
Africa  it  (Mohammedanism)  has  become  so  deteriorated  by 
an  admixture  of  pagan  superstitions  and  by  intemperance 
that  its  influence  for  good  has  been  largely  discounted. 
The  Mohammedan  negro  is  inflated  with  a  sense  of  his  superi- 
ority, which  has  taught  him  a  supreme  contempt  for  human 
life  outside  the  pale  of  his  own  creed.  The  pagan  is  to  him 
as  a  beast  of  the  field,  fit  only  for  slaughter  or  slavery.  His 
religion  has  not  taught  him  to  condemn  deceit,  treachery, 
or  cruelty.  Having  raised  him  somewhat  above  the  chaos 
and  the  superstition  of  the  pagan  it  has  left  him  with  no 
brighter  aspirations,  the  victim  of  bigotry  and  exclusion,  the 
scourge  of  non-Mohammedan  humanity. 

This  indictment,  severe  as  it  may  seem,  is  justified 
by  facts,  although  it  may  not  coincide  with  the  curious 
partiality  which  is  often  shown  towards  Mohammedans 
by  Europeans,  both  as  travellers  and  merchants. 
An  African  bishop  has  said  that  it  is  quite  an  un- 
founded slight  upon  the  Christian  negro  to  say,  as  it 
is  common  to  do,  that  he  is  a  less  dependable  servant 
than  the  Mohammedan.  It  is  not  an  unusual  thing 
for  a  European  governor  of  a  province,  even  when  a 
Christian  himself,  to  promise  every  assistance  to 
missionaries  while  they  confine  their  efforts  to  the 


420    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

conversion  of  the  heathen,  but  any  attempt  to  prosely- 
tize the  Mohammedans  will  be  discouraged.  What 
are  the  reasons  for  this  attitude  ?  Possibly  from  its 
political  side  it  springs  from  an  unexpressed  fear  of 
Moslem  discontent,  an  unrest  which  might  seriously 
embarrass  the  administration  of  a  province.  And  yet 
as  far  as  West  Africa  is  concerned  there  does  not  seem 
to  have  been  any  ground  for  this  alarm ;  no  outbreak 
has  arisen,  and  no  special  objection  has  been  raised  by 
the  Africans  against  the  introduction  of  Christianity. 
Possibly  the  position  taken  up  is  not  so  much  a  political 
one  or  even  influenced  to  any  great  extent  by  local 
circumstances.  It  is  much  the  same  at  home,  and 
many  who  have,  without  examination,  been  satisfied 
to  consider  Mohammedanism  as  an  amiable  variant 
from  Christianity  are  not  unprepared  to  think  the 
best  of  it  when  face  to  face  with  it  abroad.  Indeed, 
there  is  in  all  who  are  not  absolute  scoffers  a  sense  of 
respect  for  the  native  in  his  religious  aspect :  his  rigid 
observances,  penances,  and  prayers,  especially  the 
way  in  which  his  religion  finds  a  place  in  his  daily  life, 
an  experience  not  so  common  in  Christian  home  circles, 
all  impress  the  onlooker,  especially  if  he  be  a  traveller 
of  the  tourist  type.  It  is  not  his  business  or  his  desire 
to  peer  into  the  dark  nether  world  of  cruelty,  corrup- 
tion, and  death,  which  underlies  these  external  devo- 
tions. That  is  the  missionary's  affair,  and  when  he 
discloses  things  as  they  are  it  often  awakens  more  of 
a  shudder  than  a  sympathetic  interest,  even  in  Chris- 
tian minds.  Human  nature  dislikes  the  disagreeable, 
except  in  novels  and  on  the  stage.    The  amazing  in- 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    421 

difference  of  Christian  people  generally  to  the  progress 
of  Islam  is  sometimes  difficult  to  account  for.  It  is 
much  easier  to  credit  the  superficial  admiration  of  a 
man  of  the  world,  whose  principle  of  toleration  is  quite 
consistently  summed  up  in  the  question,  "  What  does 
it  matter  ?  " 

It  would,  however,  be  interesting  to  explore  the 
grounds  of  this  indifference  to  Mohammedanism  to- 
day. Islam  is  not  in  evidence  in  England ;  the  dome 
of  the  mosque  at  Woking,  or  its  place  of  worship  at 
Liverpool,  is  practically  a  negligible  quantity.  Except 
at  an  exhibition  the  Mohammedan  is  little  seen  else- 
where than  at  the  docks,  which  is  an  unknown  land  to 
the  majority.  So  it  must  be  chiefly  through  travel, 
and  more  through  books,  which  bring  its  results  to 
our  easy  chair,  that  we  know  anything  of  the  Moslem, 
apart,  of  course,  from  the  missionaries,  who  are  not 
at  this  moment  giving  evidence  in  the  case.  Able 
writers,  mostly  after  their  journeyings,  have  recorded 
their  impressions,  and  though  sometimes  mistaken  in 
their  special  pleading  for  that  creed  which  has  been 
and  still  is  the  deadhest  foe  of  Christianity,  their 
opinions  are  deserving  of  the  best  consideration  of  the 
reader.  It  carries  the  greater  weight,  for  Islam  is 
thereby  not  urging  her  own  claims,  she  is  content  with 
the  generous  and  unasked  recommendation  of  her 
enemies.  It  does  not  detract  from  the  sincerity  and 
value  of  all  that  has  been  said  in  favour  of  Islam,  but 
the  fact  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  love  is  all 
on  one  side.  We  may  thinkVthat  it  does  not  much 
matter  for  time  or  eternity  whether  a  man  follows  the 


422    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

Bible  or  the  Koran,  believes  in  Christ  or  Mohammed, 
but  the  Moslem  thinks  differently.  There  is  nothing  of 
Laodicea  about  his  view  of  the  position.  As  far  as 
he  knows  the  tenets  of  his  own  religion — and  some- 
times that  is  not  much — he  always  recognizes  his 
duty  to  hold  Christianity  at  arm's  length,  to  call  its 
beHevers  infidels,  and  have  contempt  for  every  one  of 
them.  If  he  be  an  instructed  mallam  he  will  tell  you 
that  your  Bible  is  not  a  genuine  word  of  God,  that 
the  Koran  has  superseded  its  authority,  that  such 
Christian  doctrines  as  the  Trinity  and  the  Divinity  of 
Christ  as  the  Son  of  God  are  unreasonable,  and  even 
blasphemous.  There  is  nothing  backward  about  the 
Moslem,  his  religion  is  a  continuous  profession  ;  he 
spreads  his  praying  carpet  in  the  market  place,  and  is 
a  missionary  everywhere  and  at  any  time.  The  only 
compromises  he  makes  are  with  the  heathen,  meeting 
them  half-way  with  indulgence  in  both  wives  and 
charms ;  but  towards  the  Christian  he  shows  no 
sign  of  truce.  He  can  quote  a  passage  from  the  Koran 
about  Sirdt,  a  bridge  over  the  midst  of  hell,  with  an 
edge  sharper  than  a  sword,  over  which  all  must  pass 
barefoot.  The  infidel  Christian  will  shp  and  fall  into 
eternal  flame,  but  the  Moslem,  with  firm  footstep,  will 
walk  over  unhurt  into  Paradise.  He  will  tell  you  that 
the  Koran,  or  inspired  word  of  God,  was  sent  down 
to  lowest  heaven  complete,  and  there  revealed  to  the 
prophet  Mohammed  by  the  angel  Gabriel  piecemeal, 
without  a  wince  of  unbelief.  He  has  no  qualms  on  the 
score  of  tradition,  for  he  has  accepted  his  Bokhari  of 
7275  apocryphal  stories  which  Abu  Abdullah  Muham- 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW   423 

med  ibu-i- Ismail  selected  from  600,000,  uttering  a  pious 
Rikcit  over  every  choice  he  made.     Still  it  may  be  said 
that   his  religion   does  not  make   as   much  demand 
upon  his  credulity  or  even  self-sacrifice  as  if  he  were 
a  Buddhist  or  a  Hindu.     And  with  it  all  he  is  a  good 
fellow,  a  faithful  servant,  as  his  British  masters  every- 
where will  agree,  an  obedient  and  brave  soldier,  as  his 
officers  will  attest.     Bishop  Crowther  always  admitted 
the  advantages  which  Islam  brought  to  a  people  living 
in  pure  paganism.     To  a  certain  extent  it  introduces 
reform,    stops    cannibalism,    and    abolishes    idolatry, 
though  as  regards  fetishism  it  only  may  be  said  to 
supplant  the  practice  by  its  own  charms.     And  to-day 
there  is  not  much  danger  of  the  virtues  of  Islam  being 
overlooked,  either  as  a  creed  or  as  applied  to  the  per- 
sonal character  of  its  individual  believers.     The  ques- 
tion is  what  is  the  relative  position  of  Christianity  to 
Mohammedanism,  and  whether  it  is  not  our  bounden 
duty  and  service  to  send  missionaries  to  show  them 
the  way  of  Ufe.     This  point  Canon  Robinson  has  ably 
argued  by  showing  that  when  Christianity  went  forth 
as  a  missionary  rehgion  the  people  of  the  known  world 
were  living  in  dense  darkness,  except  in  Greece  and 
Italy,  where,  in  the  days  of  St.  Paul,  philosophers  like 
Epictetus  taught  a  high  conception  of  God  and  duty, 
and  Seneca  with  his  school  of  wise  disciples.     It  is 
quite  possible  that  these  argued  with  St.  Paul  that  he 
had  better  go  to  the  heathen  and  leave  them,  with  their 
light  and   advancement  of   religious  thought,  alone. 
But  this  he  would  not  do  ;  he  went  first  to  the  philoso- 
phers and  preached  Christ  to  the  most  enhghtened. 


424    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

Therefore  when  we  are  told  that  the  Moslems  have  a 
good  religion  and  believe  in  God,  we  are  not  ashamed 
to  follow  the  example  of  St.  Paul  and  treat  them  as 
needing  salvation  and  the  message  of  mercy  in  Jesus 
Christ. 

To  many  the  fact  that  Islam  denies  the  doctrine  of 
the  Trinity  is  not  the  serious  disadvantage  which  it 
ought  to  be.  It  is  not  only  a  deliberate  refusal  of 
what  God  has  revealed  of  Himself,  but  it  replaces  the 
Deity  of  the  Bible  with  an  insufficient  Divinity  with- 
out His  glorious  attributes.  There  is  much  force  in 
the  opinion  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Alexander  Maclaren 
in  his  sermon  on  John  xix.  i,  where  he  says  : 

Historically  a  pure  theism  is  all  but  impotent.  There  is 
only  one  example  of  it  on  a  large  scale  in  the  world,  and  that 
is  a  kind  of  bastard  Christianity — Mohammedanism — and 
we  all  know  what  good  that  is  as  a  religion.  There  are  plenty 
of  people  who  call  themselves  Theists  and  not  Christians. 
Well,  I  venture  to  say  that  is  a  phase  which  will  not  last. 
There  is  little  substance  in  it.  The  God  whom  men  know 
outside  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  poor  nebulous  thing,  an  idea  and 
not  a  reality.  You  will  have  to  get  something  more  sub- 
stantial than  the  far-ofi  god  of  an  un-Christian  theism  if  you 
mean  to  sway  the  world  and  satisfy  men's  hearts. 

In  the  Allah  of  Islam  there  is  no  attribute  of  love, 
and  the  divinity  and  eternal  Sonship  of  Jesus  Christ 
are  explicitly  denied.  "  Infidels  are  they  who  say, 
Verily  God  is  the  Messiah,  the  Son  of  Mary.  Say,  who 
has  any  hold  on  God  if  He  wished  to  destroy  the 
Messiah,  the  Son  of  Mary,  and  his  mother,  and  those 
who  are  on  the  earth  together  ?  "  (Surah  v.  19).  The 
atonement,  with  its  solution  of  the  mystery  of  sin,  is 
absent,  the  sign  of  the  Cross  is  abhorrent,  and  an  object 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    425 

of  contempt  even  to  Moslem  children.  In  a  very  able 
paper  on  "Strategic  Problems,"  prepared  by  the  Rev. 
W.  H.  T.  Gairdner,  a  C.M.S.  missionary  at  Cairo, 
for  the  consideration  of  the  Pan-AngHcan  Congress, 
there  are  some  profound  observations  on  the  moral 
results  of  such  a  denial  of  the  Trinity.  He  points  out 
that  the  Moslem  God  is  a  mere  negation. 

With  them  the  infinite  is  equivalent  only  to  the  negative 
of  the  Finite,  and  in  reality  their  god  is  utterly  uninteUigible. 
.  .  .  Islam  is  philosophically  agnostic.  ,  .  .  The  solitary, 
inscrutable,  characterless  sultan  of  heaven  is,  I  need  hardly 
say,  a  passionless  being.  An  analysis  of  the  ninety-nine 
epithets  or  names  wherewith  he  is  characterized  can  really  be 
reduced  to  the  unethical  categories  of  Being,  Understanding, 
Will,  and  Force.  Epithets  which  seem  to  fall  within  the 
ethical  category  are  really  explained  away  by  Moslems  them- 
selves, who  say  of  the  attributes  of  Love  and  Wvath  that  they  are 
respectively  aspects  of  favour  and  disfavour,  which  of  course 
are  simply  names  for  arbitrary  will,  and  who,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  attribute  of  Justice,  wholeheartedly  endorse  the  pro- 
found conclusion  of  Caliban  philosophizing  on  Cetebos,  and 
thus  reduce  it,  too,  to  will.  I  need  hardly  stop  to  draw  out 
the  miserable  jejunency  of  the  ethical  fruit  which  such 
theological  soil  as  this  must  always  produce — what  low  views 
of  holiness,  what  callousness  towards  sin,  what  absence  of 
tenderness  and  truth  ! 

If  it  is  pleaded  that  Islam  does  well  for  the  nations 
now,  which  is  subject  to  contradiction,  what  guarantee 
have  we  of  the  future  ?  Judging  from  her  history  in 
the  past,  and  how  everywhere  she  has  deteriorated 
and  sterilized  the  country  and  people  under  her  in- 
fluence and  government,  we  should  hesitate  to  bind 
other  nations  with  the  same  blighting  power.  What 
of  Arabia,  the  cradle  of  her  creed,  where  for  thirteen 
hundred  years  she  has  had  a  free  hand,  undisturbed 


426    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

by  Christian  invasion  and  interference,  political  or 
religious  ?  Look  at  Palestine,  Syria,  Egypt,  Morocco, 
or  any  country  which  has  lain  under  her  blighting 
shadow.  Wherever  the  Crescent  reigns  is  decay, 
neglect,  corruption,  arrest  of  all  development,  and 
misery.  Her  history  is  against  her.  If  Africa  is  her 
chosen  child,  the  sphere  of  her  greatest  exploits,  it  is 
at  the  same  time  a  living  indictment  against  her  rule. 
She  has  failed  to  uplift  the  nations  which  have  been 
spared  by  her  sword  and  slave  market.  If  it  be  a  sin 
to  persecute  the  saints  her  cup  is  filled  to  the  brim 
with  guiltiness  ;  if  to  be  the  wolf  that  came  down  on 
the  Christian  fold,  sparing  neither  shepherd  nor  flock, 
is  sin  before  high  heaven,  the  skirts  of  Islam  are  defiled 
and  blood-red. 

Of  late  years  Islam  has  made  some  effort  to  set 
her  house  in  order.  Ten  years  ago  a  conference  was 
held  in  Mecca  to  discuss  the  causes  of  its  failure,  and 
no  less  than  fifty-six  reasons  were  adduced  by  these 
pious  Moslems  for  this  want  of  success.  It  was  then 
recognized  that  the  doctrine  of  fatalism  was  paralyzing 
the  energy  of  Islam,  and  she  was  also  losing  ground 
by  her  ascetic  attitude  towards  the  gains  and  honours 
of  the  world.  The  spirit  of  the  age  seems  to  have 
pervaded  the  atmosphere  of  this  conclave,  for  strong 
regrets  were  expressed  that  Islam  restricted  religious 
liberty,  possibly  with  stricter  truth  a  stronger  phrase 
might  have  been  employed,  for  her  history  past  and 
present,  as  far  as  she  is  able  to  act,  is  despotic  and 
oppressive  in  regard  to  every  religion  but  her  own. 
No  practical  effect  seems  to  have  ensued  from  this 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    427 

learned  and  really  earnest  conference,  at  which  the 

various  nations  of  the  world  were  each  represented. 

We  are  greatly  indebted    to    Professor    Margoliouth 

for  bringing  this  remarkable  incident  under  the  notice 

of  Christian  people  in  England,  and  in  the  pages  of 

"  East  and  West  "  are  some  conclusions  which  will 

meet  with  the  concurrence  of  all  serious  thinkers  on 

the  subject. 

Has  Islam  any  golden  age  to  look  back  on,  except  in  the 
sense  that  at  one  time  Mohammedan  sultans  were  a  terror  to 
their  neighbours,  whereas  now  their  neighbours  are  safe  from 
their  raids  ?  There  is  no  real  abuse  current  in  Mohammedan 
states  from  which  they  have  ever  been  free,  except  by  accident 
for  a  limited  time  ;  on  the  other  hand  reforms,  whether  forced 
upon  the  people  from  outside  or  not,  have  been  introduced — 
it  is  sufficient  to  point  to  the  abolition  of  slavery — at  least 
over  the  greater  area  of  Islam.  The  days  of  the  pious  Caliphs, 
could  they  be  reproduced,  would  mean  no  progress,  even  in 
the  most  backward  of  Islamic  countries.  The  strengthening 
of  Islam,  if  it  is  not  to  be  a  calamity  to  the  whole  world,  is 
not  to  be  effected  by  the  reproduction  of  a  barbarous  past, 
but  by  an  attempt  to  utilize  the  vast  force  which  Islam  repre- 
sents, as  a  factor  in  real  progress,  the  civilizing  and  ennobling 
of  the  race.  And  whether  this  can  be  done  and  the  whole  of 
that  huge  capital  must  be  "  written  off,"  is  the  question 
which  reformers  have  to  solve. 

Why  should  we  send  missionaries  to  convert  the 
Mohammedans  ?  This  is  another  form  of  the  old 
question,  why  preach  to  people  who  have  a  religion  of 
their  own,  instead  of  going  to  the  unenlightened 
heathen  ?  But  it  must  be  admitted  that  the  heathen 
also  have  a  religion,  and  therefore  it  comes  to  this, 
we  must  either  ignore  the  distinct  command  to  "  preach 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature,"  or  prove  ourselves 
justified  in  making  a  distinction  between  the  various 


428    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

religions  of  the  world  as  to  which  is  most  deserving 
of  the  tidings  of  salvation.  The  probable  course  would 
be  to  strike  off  those  who  were,  in  our  opinion,  in  no 
special  need  of  Christianity,  either  on  the  ground  of 
the  antiquity  of  their  religion,  its  philosophic  excel- 
lence, or  practical  utility.  In  this  case  not  Islam  only 
would  be  excluded,  but  Buddhism,  Confucianism, 
Hinduism,  and  others,  which  represent  the  conscience 
of  millions  of  the  world's  family.  But  have  we  any 
right  to  withhold  the  Gospel  from  the  votaries  of  such 
religions,  and  to  assume  that  Christianity  is  only  for 
the  darkest  and  most  ignorant  pagans  ? 

Another  ground  taken  up  in  the  argument  is  that, 
judging  by  results,  it  is  almost  an  impossibility  to 
convert  a  Mohammedan  to  Christianity.  The  same 
reasoning  is  often  used  as  regards  missions  to  the  Jews, 
as  though  difficulties  excuse  effort,  and  that  the  soul  of 
a  man  is  not  worth  all  means  and  expenditure  to  save. 

It  is  for  the  missionaries  in  the  fighting  line  to  decide 
what  are  the  best  weapons  for  the  conquest  of  Islam 
in  Nigeria.  But  before  anything  can  be  attempted, 
the  public  opinion  of  the  Church  at  home  must  be 
aroused  to  the  right  conception  of  its  duty,  and  then 
we  shall  see  a  movement  of  men  and  money  and  the 
might  of  united  prayer  for  the  conversion  of  the  Moslem 
as  a  sinner  in  the  dark,  and  needing  salvation  through 
Jesus  Christ  as  much  as  the  heathen.  Briefly  put, 
the  constituents  of  success  involve  missionaries  spe- 
cially trained,  with  a  knowledge  of  the  Koran  and  all 
phases  of  Moslem  belief,  the  circulation  of  copies  of 
the  Bible  in  Arabic  and  the  languages  of  the  native 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    429 

races,  medical  missions  combining  faith  and  skill, 
educational  work,  teaching  the  natives  to  think  for 
themselves  and  giving  them  subjects  for  their  reason 
to  digest  ;  and,  above  all,  a  clear  faithful  proclamation, 
at  all  risks,  of  Christian  faith  and  doctrine.  The 
African  who  has  accepted  Islam  has  undergone  no 
conversion  of  character  ;  he  is  still  the  same  man  at 
heart,  and  needs  as  much  as  ever  the  grace  which  can 
make  all  things  new  in  Christ.  This,  too,  is  the  con- 
dition of  his  instructors,  for  the  mallam,  with  a  little 
more  knowledge,  is  still  in  the  dark. 

We  can  make  no  truce -with  Islam,  except  to  own 
humiliating  defeat  ;  it  is  ours  rather  to  take  the  offen- 
sive, and  storm  her  ramparts  in  the  name  of  God. 
Difficulties  ought  not  to  unnerve  or  deter  us ;  the  vic- 
tories of  the  Cross  are  testimony  of  the  power  of  the 
Gospel  over  heathenism  all  over  the  world,  and  the 
same  grace  and  truth  can  lift  this  shadow  from  the 
face  of  millions  in  West  Africa  and  the  East.  As 
Mr.  J.  R.  Mott  has  said,  "  We  should  lay  siege  to  the 
Port  Arthurs  of  the  non-Christian  world  with  the 
undiscourageable  purpose  to  capture  them.  We  should 
not  shrink  or  falter  before  such  apparently  impregnable 
fortresses  as  the  Mohammedan  world."  In  dealing 
with  Nigeria  we  must  claim  the  right  to  urge  the  cause 
of  Christianity  among  Moslems  with  as  much  freedom, 
at  any  rate,  as  Islam  is  allowed  to  propagate  her  re- 
ligion among  the  heathen.  The  native  pastors,  upon 
whom  so  much  of  the  hopeful  future  of  Nigeria  depends, 
must  be  instructed  in  the  history  and  character  of  this 
religion,  which  is  the  wolf  of  their  sheepfolds. 


430    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

This  is  a  season  of  golden  opportunity.  As  Dr. 
Zwemer  points  out  in  his  striking  book,  "  Islam,  a 
Challenge  to  Faith  " :  "  Over  one-half  of  the  Moslem 
world  is  now  under  Christian  rule  or  protection. 
Christian  rule  has  not  always  been  favourable  for  the 
spread  of  Christianity,  yet  it  means  generally  a  free 
Press,  free  speech,  and  liberty  to  confess  Christ.  Pure 
Mohammedan  rule  means  an  enslaved  Press,  no  free- 
dom of  speech,  and  death  for  the  apostate  from  Islam. 
The  keys  to  every  gateway  in  the  Moslem  world  are 
in  the  political  grasp  of  Christian  powers,  with  the 
exception  of  Mecca  and  Constantinople." 

Controversy  has  its  place  in  dealing  with  Moslems, 
and  for  this  the  Christian  missionary  must  be  fully 
qualified  by  knowledge  of  the  Kor^n,  armed  by  such 
an  excellent  guide  as  Dr.  Tisdell's  "  Manual  of  the 
Leading  Mohammedan  Objections  to  Christianity," 
and  watchful  tact  and  unruffled  good  temper.  But 
the  necessity  for  a  mediator  and  an  atonement  for 
sin  must  be  kept  in  view,  and  as  to  a  man,  not  merely 
a  Moslem,  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  only  Saviour  of  the 
world,  must  be  proclaimed.  It  is  a  crusade  of  righteous- 
ness and  peace  against  darkness,  error,  and  distress 
holding  in  fetters  the  souls  of  millions. 

"  Through  the  promise  on  God's  pages, 
Through  His  work  in  history's  stages, 
Through  His  cross  that  crowns  the  ages, 
Show  His  love  to  them." 


THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW    431 

We  have  watched  the  reaper  at  his  toil  from  the 
rising  of  the  sun  to  the  going  down  thereof  at  the  end 
of  a  very  long  day.  Our  eyes  through  all  these  pages 
have  never  left  the  field,  its  wide  plains  dotted  with 
native  towns  and  villages,  forests  dark  and  alive  with 
mystery,  the  silver  sheen  of  the  mighty  river  hastening 
to  the  sea,  losing  itself  in  thick  swamps  of  mangrove 
trees,  whose  grey-white  roots  at  the  ebb  stick  out  of  the 
black  slime,  and  at  the  flood  the  stream,  struggling 
through  a  mass  of  decaying  vegetable  life,  through 
which  the  crocodile  glides  and  flies  in  myriads  swarm. 
We  have  heard  the  cries  of  wild  creatures  prowling  in 
the  darkness  in  search  of  food,  and  the  buzz  and  flutter 
of  wings  in  the  feverish  air.  But  we  have  listened  to 
other  voices — the  groans  of  fettered  men,  the  shrieks  of 
driven  women,  the  wail  of  the  dying  dropping  down 
unpitied  and  alone.  Then  the  raiders  came  no  more, 
and  the  crying  ceased,  the  sun  shone  again  upon  a 
people  standing  safely  at  their  doors  or  clustered  with 
a  babble  of  tongues  in  the  markets.  We  have  drawn 
nearer  and  looked  into  their  faces,  and  saw  they  were 
not  yet  really  free ;  the  fetter  had  gone,  but  the  fetish 
remained.  Cowering  with  dread,  they  sought  to  pro- 
pitiate a  hundred  vengeful  deities,  or  danced  with 
plaintive  wails  at  feasts  of  shame.  And  we  forgot  the 
scenery  then,  the  fronded  palms,  the  glitter  of  water, 
and  the  blue  mountains  beyond,  and  only  regarded 
these  poor  wandering  ones — millions  with  hearts  dark 
enough  under  that  cloudless  African  sky,  and  we  were 
gladdened  by  the  first  streaks  of  daybreak  in  these 
souls  of  men.  This  was  the  field,  white  in  its  ripeness, 
black  in  its  need,  unto  the  harvest. 


432    THE  FIELD— TO-DAY  AND  TO-MORROW 

And  lo  !  in  the  early  morning  of  a  great  life  a  boy 
is  seen  in  the  field,  tasting  its  heartbreak,  and  growing 
up  to  look  across  its  waving  human  pastures  with 
eyes  aglow  with  love,  going  forth  sickle  in  hand  to  do 
God  service  there.  Through  the  long  hot  day  he 
works  on,  sometimes  lost  to  sight  amid  a  thicket  of 
difficulties,  ever  hopeful,  unwearied,  cutting  ways  for 
others'  feet  to  travel,  reaping  possibilities,  gathering 
sheaves  of  immortal  souls.  Then  the  day  deepens, 
the  sun,  just  sinking  over  the  horizon,  flings  a  glow 
on  the  brave,  tear-stained  face,  the  voice  of  the  great 
Husbandman  calls  his  name,  with  a  smile  of  satisfac- 
tion he  lays  his  sickle  down  and  is  gone.  Work  is 
over,  the  reaper  is  at  home  now,  resting  for  evermore. 

But  though  the  reaper  is  a  memory,  the  field  is  there 
still  to-day.  The  sickle  has  passed  to  other  hands ; 
many  who  thus  follow  in  his  steps  are  themselves  the 
spiritual  harvest  of  his  patient,  prayerful  toil.  From 
this  time  the  land  of  the  Niger  will  be  ever  fragrant 
with  the  memory  of  a  worker  who  in  earth  or  heaven 
"  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,"  and  to  us  he  has  left 
the  heritage  of  his  country  and  its  children  for  our 
prayers,  our  succour,  and  our  love. 


INDEX 


Abalah,  14 

Abeokuta,  foundation  of,  82  ;  exo- 
dus for,  83  ;  arrival  of  first  mis- 
sionary, etc.,  85,  97,  114,  116, 
177;  bitter  persecution  at,  214-15 

Abiodun,  3 

Abitsi,  129 

Abo  Fowole,  396 

Abogi,  162 

Aboh,  120,  121,  152 

Abokko,  presentation  of  gifts  to, 
198;  treachery  of,  etc.,  218-24, 
260 

Abolition  of  slavery,  21  ;  Bill 
passed,  23 

Adamawa,  136 

Adams,  Mount,  129 

Adamugu,  123 

Addu  Kuddu,  58 

Adjai,  meaning  of,  5 

Aeo,  138 

Afala,  3 

Africa,  early  history  of,  2 ;  Associa- 
tion for,  25  ;  for  the  Africans, 
304-8 

Agebekun,  138 

Aggo-oj-a,  81 

Ajabo,  3 

Aje,  120,  122,  152 

Akassa,  179,  250,  319 

Ake,  82 

Akodun,  215 

Albert,  H.M.S.,  60;  return  of,  65 

Allen,  Captain  B.,  58 

Alumi,  chief,  342 

Aluja,  5 

Ama,  129 

Ama-Abokko,  124,  182 

Amusing  incident  at  Bida,  244 
2  F 


Anasara,  138 

Angiama,  150 

Annear,  Rev.  W.,  86 

Aro-Chuku,  398 

Arokin,  3 

Asaba,  128,  398 

Asai,  114 

Asano,  18,  41 

Ashcroft,  Mr.,  327 

Athanasius,  2 

Atonement,  native  sacrifice  of,  247 

Atorodibo,  332 

Augustine,  2 

Avebury,  Lord,  272 

Ayambo,  337 

Azurim,  400 

Badagry,    83   ;     establishment    of 

mission  at,  87,  90 
Baikie,    Dr.,  117,    120,    121,    126, 

127,  130,  132,  133,  137,  139-40, 

148,  153,  165,  178 
Bajofu,  162 
Baker,  Henry,  71 
Beam,  H.M.S.,  41 
Barth,  Dr.,  126,  142,  326 
Bartholomew,  Joseph,  16 
Bathurst,  17 
Bazeley,      Thomas,     ship,     220-1, 

225,  229 
Beale,  Mr.,  143 
Beecroft,  Mr.,  118 
Bende,  298 
Benson,  Dr.,  356 
Berkeley,  Governor,  256 
Bickersteth,  Rev.  E.,  34 
Bickersteth,  Sarah,  30 
Bida,  242,  256,  404 
Binue,  132 


433 


434 


INDEX 


Blomfield,  Bishop,  72 

Bola,  6 

Boler,  Captain,  317 

Bonny,    evil   customs   and    history 

of,  201-3,    231  ;  old  bell  found, 

204-5;  destruction  of  lizards,  205; 

terrible  persecution,  216-18,  315  ; 

Bishop    defends    converts,    etc., 

316-17,  368 
Boyle,  Rev.  J.,  386,  393 
Brass,  151,  231,  297,  317 
Brickmaking,  322 
Brooke,  Wilmot  Graham,  359,  361 
Brougham,  Lord,  22 
Brown,  Dr.  Percy,  death  of,  357 
Bultiman,  Rev.  F.  ,69 
Buxton,  Sir   Thomas    Fowell,   22 ; 

book   by,    50 ;     hears    Crowther 

preach,  etc.,  72,  278 

Cairns,  Earl,  356 

Calabar,  2 

Candace,  H. M.S.,  144 

Canterbury,  consecration  of  Crow- 
ther at,  186 

Carr,  Mr.,  123 

Carthage,  2 

Charms,  Moslem,  290 

Chichester,  Earl  of,  106 

Childe,  Rev.  C.  F.,  70 

Chineke,  401 

Christchurch,  19 

Clark,  Rev.  M.,  168 

Clarkson,  Thomas,  20 

Cole,  O.  E.,  294 

Confluence,  123,  140 

Conversion  through  a  picture,  338 

Coomber,  Mr.,  228 

Cotton,  shipped,  118 

Cotton  trade,  origin  of,  310 

Cripple,  story  of,  128 

Crook,  Mr.,  162 

Crowther,  Archdeacon  D.  C,  235, 
252,  380,  393 

Crowther,'Mrs.  D.  C. ,  girl's  school, 

395 
Crowther,  Bishop. — Ancestry,  3  and 


4 ;  birthplace,  4  ;  childhood,  4 
and  5 ;  prophecy  of  divining 
priest,  5  ;  family  trade,  6  ;  occu- 
pations of  boyhood,  6 ;  saves 
gods  from  fire,  7  ;  letter  on  early 
days,  8 ;  capture  and  death  of 
father,  10  ;  burning  of  town,  1 1  ; 
carried  into  slavery,  12  ;  sold  to 
Mohammedans,  13  ;  temptations 
to  suicide,  13  ;  slave  barracoon, 
15  ;  rescue  from  ship,  16  ;  life  on 
man-of-war,  17  ;  lands  at  Sierra 
Leone,  17;  .  .^rns  to  read,  18; 
conversion,  19 ;  visits  London, 
33  ;  appointed  schoolmaster,  34  ; 
enters  Fourah  Bay  College,  38 ; 
life  there,  39-40 ;  in  love,  41  ; 
marriage,  42  ;  appointed  tutor, 
43  ;  early  studies,  44  ;  first  letter 
to  C.  M.S.,  47;  accompanies 
first  Niger  expedition,  51  ;  nar- 
row escape,  52  ;  visits  grave  of 
Quaque,  53  ;  first  view  of  Niger, 
54 ;  visits  King  Obi,  56 ;  chiefs, 
61-2  ;  rum  craze,  63  ;  meets  with 
Mohammedans,  63  ;  mortality  on 
ships,  65 ;  sad  return  of  sur- 
vivors, 66 ;  recommended  to 
C.  M.  S.,  69;  second  visit  to 
England,  70 ;  first  translation 
work,  70;  enters  Islington  Col- 
lege, 70 ;  examination  honours, 
71  ;  ordained  deacon,  72  ;  inter- 
view with  Bishop  Blomfield,  72  ; 
ordained  priest,  72 ;  returns  to 
Africa,  73  ;  reception  by  people, 
74  ;  first  sermon,  75  ;  visit  to  the 
Mohammedans,  76 ;  interview 
with  Shango  worshippers,  79-80; 
embarks  with  missionaries  for 
Abeokuta,  86  ;  visits  Chief  Ogu- 
bonna,  88 ;  preaches  to  child- 
ren, 90 ;  translates  Scriptures 
and  Liturgy,  90 ;  his  attachment 
to  Church  of  England,  91  ; 
travels  to  Abeokuta  under  diffi- 
culties, 93  ;  meeting  with  chiefs, 


INDEX 


435 


94 ;  and  with  his  mother,  95  ; 
her  conversion  and  baptism,  97  ; 
third  visit  to  England,  100 ; 
visits  the  Queen,  103,  and  Cam- 
bridge, 106  ;  farewell  at  Isling- 
ton, 107-10;  revisits  Lagos,  112; 
translations  and  Ketu,  114; 
visits  chief,  1 14-15;  impressions 
of  Delta,  119-20;  interview  with 
Tshukiima,  121,  and  Ama- 
Abokko,  125,  and  natives,  130, 
and  Galadima,  130,  and  King 
of  Hamaruwa  and  Sariki  of 
Tshomo,  134;  gifts  from  chief, 
136;  talk  with  Agbekun,  138; 
returns  from  second  expedition, 
139;  thoughts  on  same,  140; 
letter  on  Indian  Mutiny,  147 ; 
third  expedition  up  Niger,  148  ; 
plans  for  Moslem  work,  149 ; 
on  overlapping,  151  ;  visits  Onit- 
sha  King,  153;  town  described, 
154;  farewell  words  to  Taylor, 
156  ;  lands  at  Idda,  157  ;  visits 
Moslem,  158;  service  at  Ghebe, 
159,  1 60;  reverence  for  Sabbath, 
160;  preaches  to  Hausas,  161  ; 
burial  of  ship's  mate,  162  ;  visits 
camp  at  Bida,  162,  and  Sumo 
Zaki,  163-5  ;  advice  on  dealing 
with  Moslems,  165  ;  wreck  of 
Day  spring,  166 ;  meets  Henry 
George,  167  ;  Christmas  Day  on 
desert  isle,  168;  talks  with 
Kosomo,  169;  discusses  Rama- 
dan, 170 ;  escapes  from  snake 
and  leopard,  171  ;  position  of 
women,  172;  gifts,  174;  talk 
with  Obi  Ij'6ma,  175 ;  gives 
boatmen  soap,  177;  on  foot  to 
Abeokuta,  177;  preaches  at 
Ilorin,  178;  returns  to  Lagos, 
178;  Niger  again  with  Rain- 
bow, 178;  and  gunboats,  179; 
preaches  at  Ghebe,  180;  shows 
Masaba  cotton  gins,  181  ;  conse- 
cration   at    Canterbury,    186-7  ; 


returns  to  Niger,  190;  welcome 
from  missionaries  and  college, 
191-3;  starts  for  Lagos,  194; 
first  ordinations,  194,  195  ;  con- 
firmation at  Ghebe,  visits  Sun- 
day-school, 197;  gifts  to  Abokko, 
198,  and  Ata,  199 ;  visits  Bonny 
and  founds  first  Delta  station, 
201 ;  describes  town,  202  ;  de- 
struction of  juju  grove,  203-4, 
and  lizards,  206 ;  protests  respect- 
ing Ghebe,  213  ;  kidnapped  and 
experiences  in  captivity,  218-24  > 
rescue  by  Consul,  225  ;  letter  to 
Rolleston,  227  ;  of  sympathy, 
229 ;  on  sacrifices  and  killing  of 
twins,  232 ;  meets  Baptist  con- 
verts, 235-7 ;  interview  with 
Masaba,  242-3;  condemns  Mos- 
lem superstitions,  243 ;  sermon 
to  them,  245  ;  on  native  ideas  of 
atonement,  247 ;  testimony  to 
Langley,  249-50 ;  ordains  his 
son,  252 ;  opinions  on  tempta- 
tions of  trade,  255 ;  discusses 
commerce  with  Omoru,  256 ; 
opinion  on  him,  258 ;  treachery 
and  difficulty,  260 ;  writes  to 
Livingstone,  261  ;  opinions  on 
native  shrewdness,  263-5,  ^^^ 
love  of  finery,  267 ;  on  first 
expedition,  277  ;  on  its  results, 
278 ;  early  state  of  Onitsha  and 
improvement,  278-9  ;  on  preach- 
ing to  Moslems,  281;  to  heathen, 
282  ;  on  books,  282-3  >  ^^  poly- 
gamy, 284-8 ;  on  Moslem  men- 
ace, 288-9  j  denounces  their 
charms,  291-2 ;  advises  court- 
esy, 292  ;  word  of  warning,  295 ; 
real  success,  296 ;  equipment  of 
ministry,  297-9  '■>  on  national 
characteristics,  299-300 ;  speech 
in  London,  301-4;  on  Africa  for 
Africans,  304-5  ;  need  of  men, 
305 ;  letters  on  Moslem  work, 
293 ;  use  of  Arabic  Bible,  294 ; 


436 


INDEX 


missionary's  example,  308-9 ; 
grateful  sympathy,  309  ;  origin  of 
cotton  trade,  310 ;  travelling 
difficulties,  311 ;  sick-room  medi- 
tations, 311-12;  *' better  to  wear 
out,"  312  ;  dealing  with  Obitsis, 
313;  patience  with  weak  brethren, 
313  ;  pioneer  difficulties,  314-15  ; 
persecutions  at  Bonny,  315; 
defends  his  converts,  317 ; 
address  at  Akassa,  319;  on  in- 
consistency and  discipline,  320 ; 
the  Bishop  brickmaking,  323 ; 
Geographical  Society  paper  and 
presentation,  324-5 ;  interview 
withOckiya,  331;  heathen  cruelty, 
335  5  ^  question  of  discipline, 
339-40 ;  visits  Chief  Alumi, 
342-5  ;  retrospective,  346 ;  clos- 
ing days,  347-8 ;  death  of  wife 
and  mother,  348-50 ;  crisis 
begins,  first  committee,  353 ; 
Madeira  conference,  354 ;  scan- 
dal at  Onitsha,  354-6 ;  visits 
England,  356 ;  Hamilton  ar- 
rives, 358 ;  valedictory  meet- 
ing of  Brooke  and  others,  359- 
60 ;  division  of  diocese,  anxiety. 
Bishop's  forbearance,  362 ;  con- 
sistency of  natives  criticized, 
363 ;  a  case  of  disciphne,  366 ; 
appeal  for  patience,  367 ;  on 
qualifications  of  pastors,  368-9 ; 
advocates  European  help,  369 ; 
offers  to  withdraw,  370  ;  Delta 
pastorate  mission  started,  371-2  ; 
he  breaks  down  at  last,  372-3  ; 
end  draws  near,  373-5  ;  last 
letter  to  C.M.S.  with  dying 
hand,  375-6 ;  his  passing,  376- 
7 ;  funeral  at  Christchurch, 
Lagos,  378 ;  epitaph,  379 ; 
home-life  memories,  380-8  ;  the 
man  and  his  work,  388-9 

Cupidity  of  a  native  chief,  152 

Curious  idiom,  175 

Cyprian,  2 


Dahdah,  12 

Dahomey,  King  of,  attacks  Abeo- 

kuta,  99 
Dasaba,  123,  162,  177 
Davey,  Mr.,  17;  letter  to  C.M.S., 

33-4 
Daysprifig,    ship,    ascends    Niger, 

15O;  157.  162;  wreck  of,  166 
Death  of  interpreter,  57 

—  Joe,  165 

—  old  chief,  238,  239 

Delta,  first  station  founded,  201 

Delta  pastoral  church,  originated 
371-2  ;  its  history,  391 ;  inaugur- 
ation services,  393  ;  constitution 
settled,  393-4 

Difficulties  of  native  work,  240 

Diplomacy  of  Bishop,  241 

Djuku,  212 

Dobinson,  Rev.  H.,  373 

Doma,  212 

Drink,  history  of  its  evil,  269-70, 
351-2 

East,  Captain,  his  opinion  of  Crow- 
ther,  250 

Ebweh  dialect,  13 

Edu,  4 

Education  of  native  children,  266 

Egga,  61,  242,  360,  361 

Elabbo,  14 

Elgin,  Lord,  147 

Eko,  14,  16 

Emancipation  of  slaves,  23 

Erin,  4 

Esperanza  Felix,  ship,  16 

Espoir,  H.M.S.,  179 

Ethiope,  H.M.S.,  65 

Ethiope,  Mount,  129 

Expedition  to  Niger  authorized 
50;  starts,  51;  second  expedi- 
tion, 117;  third,  150;  fourth,  194 

Eyo,  9 

Faithfulness  of  converts,  339 
Fatuma,  172 
Fernando  Po,  134,  140 


INDEX 


437 


Filanis,  136 

Forgiving     spirit     manifested,     a, 

364-5 
Forester,  H.M.S.,  326 
Foulahs,  9,  58 
Fourah  Bay  College,   established, 

35 ;    subsequent   history   of,    36, 

38 
Franco-German  War,  248 
Freeman,  Rev.  T.  B.,  58,  85 
Freetown,     17  ;    established,     24, 

144 
Frey,  Mr.,  143 
Fulham  Palace,  72 
Fumbina,  136 

Galadima,  130,  159,  172,  177 

Gandiko,  129 

Gaukera,  129 

Garawara,  327 

Garike,  129 

Gbara,  162 

Generosity  of  chief,  334 

Ghebe,  159,  180,  212;  destruction 

of,  213 
Gibraltar  Chapel,  43 
Glover,  Mr.,  167 

Goldie,  Sir  George  Taubman,  272 
Gollmer,  death  of  Mrs.,  87 
GoUmer,  Rev.  C.  A,,  86 
Gordon,  Rev.  J.  N.,  148 
Gori,  60 

Grant,  Captain,  153 
Green,  Rev.  T. ,  252 

Haensel,  Rev.  Chas.  F.,  35,  40 
Hagar,  Mammy,  story  of,  208-10 
Halligey,  Rev.  J.  T.  F.,  238 
Hamaruwa,  133,  326 
Hamilton,  Archdeacon  James,  358, 

374,  378 
Hart,  Captain,  335,  336 
Hart,  Joshua,  216 
Hausa  race  described,  404 
Henry  Venn,  ship,  326 
—  new  ship,  358 
Herbert,  Mount,  129 


Hewitt,  Commodore,  329 
Hill,  Bishop,  394 
Hinderer,  Rev.  D.,  97 
House  of  Lords,  356 
Hunter,  James,  71 
Hutchinson,  Mr.,  327 

Iba-Agljakin,  4 

Ibadan,  124,  396 

Ibisomi-T'-Elerin-mas^,  3 

Ibo,  characteristics,  338 ;  super- 
stitions, 398-9  ;  religion,  401-2  ; 
cause  of  slow  progress,  403 

Ibrahim,  124,  396 

Idda,  129,  157,  228,  259 

Idiari,  King,  253 

Idols  of  an  old  man,  396 

—  putting  away  of,  176 
Ifa,  5 

Igara,  212 
Igbira,  212 
Ijahi,  13 
Ijamo,  396 
Ijaye,  124 

Ijo,  397 

Ik-ke-ku-ye-re,  14 

I'ko-sy,  14 

Ilogun,  114 

Ilorin,  124,  235 

Imoru,  133 

Indian  Mutiny,  146 

Investigator,    H.M.S.,     179,    194, 

220 
Iphigenia,  16 
Iseh'i,  II,  12 

Islam.     See  Mohammedanism 
IsHngton  College  (C.M.S.),  70 

—  Parish  Church,  252 

—  parochial  school,  34 

Jabbo,  14 

Johnson,  Archdeacon  Henry,  337, 

358 

Johnson,  Bishop,  James,  drink  traffic 
273>  378 ;  on  twin  mothers, 
400-1  ;  Ibo  worship,  401-2 

Johnson,  Rev.  William  A.  B.,  26  ; 


438 


INDEX 


death  of,  30;  eulogy  by  con- 
verts, 31 

Johnson,  Mrs.,  294 

Johnston,  Sir  H.  H.,  testimony  re- 
specting lizards,  206 

Jonas,  Simon,  139,   148 

Juju  grove  destroyed,  203-4 

Kaduna,  162 

Kakanda,  212 

Kano,  142,  149 

Ketu,  114 

Kingdom,  death  of  Mr.,  65 

Kissling,  Rev.  G.  A.,  43 

Kissy  Road  burial  ground,  31 

Kosoko,  87 

Kosomo,  149,  169 

Kowara,  162 

Kpate  Gbara,  162 

Ktsa,  166 

Kutigi,  405 

Lafun,  162 

Lagos,  14,  112,  178,  250 

Laird,  Mr.  McGregor,  116,  142; 
death  of,  179 

Land  of  Israel,  337 

Langley,  Francis,  death  of,  248-9, 
254,  294 

Leeke,  Captain  H.  G.,  16;  Ad- 
miral,  186 

Leopard,  narrow  escape  from,  132 

Letter  from  Bishop's  little  girl,  98-9 

Lincoln,  Bishop  of,  187 

Limitations  of  native  royalty,  246 

Liquor  traffic,  evils  of,  270-4 

Little  Fojo,  16 

Little  Isumo,  133 

Livingstone,  Dr.,  147,  260,  262 

Lokoja,  212,  225,   242,  244,   250, 

339.  357,  364.  404.  407 
Long  Juju,  398 
Lynx,  H.M.S.,  250 

Macaulay,  Abigail  Crowther,    228 
Macaulay,  Zachary,  24 
Macdonald,  Sir  Claude,  375 


Mackenzie,  Lambert,  ordained,  194 
Maliki,  letter  against  drink,  271 
Mandranu,  Mountain,  136 
Mansel,  Rev.  H.  Longueville,  187 
Masaba,  181,  242 
Maxwell,  Thomas,  43 
May,  Mr.,  127,  130,  132,  137 
McWilliam,  Dr.,  65 
Mends,  Sir  Robert,  16 
Memorial  Training  Institution,  394 
Misadventure  at  Bida,  257 
Mohammedanism,   116,  133,   404- 

30 

Mohumma,  133 

Mokwa,  404 

Molyneaux,  Lieut.,  243 

Mortality  among  missionaries,  26 

Moslem,  camp  visited,  162  ;  advice 
for  dealing  with,  165 ;  fast  of 
Ramadan  discussed,  170;  preach- 
ing to,  281  ;  menace  of,  288  ; 
evils,  289 ;  charms,  290 ;  inter- 
view with,  408-9 

Mount  Barrow,  162 

Mount  Patteh,  124 

MuUer,  Rev.  J.  C,  95 

Mungo  Park,  166 

Muregi,  162 

Muri  Mountains,  133,  136 

Myrmidon,  H.M.S.,  16,  73 

Native  advice,  113 

—  boarding  schools,  264 

—  church  service,  247 

—  Christian's  resignation,  197 

—  ministers,  185 

—  outrage  on  the  Niger,  329 
N'deshi,  King,  171 

Neh'i,  II 
Nembe,  150 

New  Calabar,  native  parade  at,  267 
Newell,  Prebendary,  72 
Newton,  Rev.  John,  28 
Nicol,  George,  43 

Niger,  first  expedition,  50  ;  sad 
return,  65. 

—  second  expedition,  117 


INDEX 


439 


Niger,  third  expedition,  150 

—  fourth  expedition,  194 

—  Ashcroft's  journey  up  in  Henry 
Venn,  327 

—  123,  142,  178 

—  reasons  for  creation  of  bishopric 
of,  184-5 

Njoku,  401 
N'ku,  162 
Nixon,  Bishop,  188 
Noah,  David,  30 
Nun,  River,  329 
Nupe,  162,  212,  404 
Nupeko,  162 

Obatala,  3 

Obi,  120,  122 

Obi  Ij'oma,  talks  with  Bishop,  175 

Oboh,  138 

Obu,  212 

Ockiya,  330-1 

Odiri,  Prince,  196 

Ogbomosho,  235 

Ogubonna,  88 

Ogun,  River,  81 

Oko  Jumbo,  233 

Okoni,  333 

Oko-Okien,  218 

Okorika,  332 

Olaminigbin,  3 

Okl  Calabar,  231 

—  King's  prayer,  176 
Olorun,  5,  91 
Olumene,  177 
Olumo,  rock  of,  81 
Omo-oga-Egun,  3 

Omoru,  King,  172,  256-7,  295 

Onitsha,  153-4  ;  human  sacrifices 
at,  155 ;  convert's  heroism  at, 
I9S-6  ;  fire,  213,  245,  253,  320; 
destroyed,  330,  339,  397,  402 

Opobo,  391 

Oqunegba,  396 

Ora,  391 

Ordination  service  of  catechists,  251 

—  of  Archdeacon  Crowther,  252 
Origen,  2 


Osh6gun,  4,  8,  9,  11,  382 
Ossamare,  153 
Osu,  3 
Oyo-Ile,  4 

Palmerston,  Lord,  Crowther's  in- 
terview with  and  letter  from,  102 

Pan-Anglican  Conference,  406 

Pawning  children,  173, 

Pearse,  Rev.  E.,  378 

Pepple,  King  George,  265 

Pepple,   King  William,  202-3,  207 

Pepple,  King  William,  letter  from 
son,  207-8 

Perry,  Commander,  147 

Phillips,  Captain  Charles,  41 

PhilHps,  Rev.  T.,  354 

Piotieer,  H.M.S.,  243,  330 

/Y«W,  H.M.S.,  118,  120,  128,  137, 
139, 326 

Plymouth  Brethren,  91 

Pocock,  Mr.,  144 

Poh-poh,  13,  16 

Polygamy,  Crowther's  views  on, 
285,  288, 415-16 

Portuguese,  13 

Presents,  effect  of,  243 

Prince  Consort,  105 

Protomartyr  at  Bonny,  216 

Quaque,  Rev.  Philip,  53 
Queen  Victoria,  interview  with,  105 
Queen    Victoria,    gift   to    Sagbua, 
1 00- 1 

Rabba,  62,  149,   177,  235 
Rainbow,  ship,  attack  on,  179, 
Regent,  revival  at,  27 
Rennell  Mountains,  162 
Rescue  of  twins,  233 
Rhodes,  Rev.  H.,  77 
Richards,  Mr.,  125 
River  Nun,  119 

Robinson,  Rev.  J.  A.,  359,  361 
Rogang,  61 
Rogankoto,  128 
RoUeston,  H.  V.,  227 


440 


INDEX 


Rolleston,  Mrs.,  228 

Royal  Geographical  Society,  324-5, 

327 
Russell,  Lord  John,  50 
Russell,  Lord  W.,  103 

Sacrifices,  animal,  230 
Sagbua,  91,  93,  94,  loo 
Schofield,  Rev.  James,  71 
Schon,     Rev.    J.    F.,    46,    66-9; 

death  of,  350-1 
Secret  societies,  396-7 
Sekeri,  343 

Settlement  of  freed  slaves,  24 
Shango,  78 
Sharp,  Granville,  20 
Shodoke,  82 
Sidney,  Mr.,  58 
Sierra    Leone,    17,  24;    improved 

state  of,  45  ;  Crowther  revisits, 

III,  144 
Sokoto,  133,  149 
Sokoto,  Sultan  of,  133 
Somerset,  Duke  of,  356 
Soudan,  H.ALS.,  51,  60 
Spiff,  Thomas,  317 
Squiss,  Chief,  334 
Stanger,  Dr.,  64 
Stanley,  H.  M.,  260 
Stock,  Mr.  Eugene,  391  and  preface 
Story  of  Baptist  converts,  235-7 

—  Bishop's  captivity,  218,  224 

—  Okrika  woman,  332-3 
Sufen,  Chief,  327 

Sumo  Sariki,  62 

Sumo  Zaki,  162,  177 

Sunbeam ^  ship,  166  ;  relieves  party, 

174 
Sunday  Island,  119 

Taiwo,  Emma,  376 

Taylor,  Captain,  124 

Taylor,    Rev.    N.,    148,   154,   175, 

176 
Tertullian,  2 


Thomson,  Susan,  41 

Toko,  13 

Townsend,  Rev.  Henry,  85,  384 

Trading  temptations,  352-3 

Translation  work,  322 

Trotter,  Captain,  60 

Tshadda,  126,  129,  132 

Tshomo,  133 

Tshuku,  138 

Tshukuma,  120,  121 

Tugwell,  Bishop,  on  drink  traffic, 

273,  394 
Twin  children,  231 
—  mothers,  401 

Umoru,  172 

Vanity  of  native  mind,  268 
Venn,  Rev.  Hy.,  363,  391 
Verses  on  Bishop's  death,  377 
Vidal,  Bishop,   176 

Waters,  death  of  Mr.,  65 

Weeks,    Rev.   J.   W.   (Bishop),  18, 

89,      143 ;      death     of,     144-5  5 

widow  of,  187 
Wellington,  46 
Wesley,  John,  20 
Whitefield,  George,  20 
White  man's  grave,  25 
Whiting,  Rev.  J.  Bradford,  354,  373 
IVilberforce,  H.M.S.,  51,  60 
Wilberforce,  William,  20 
Williams,  Rev.  D.  G.,  340,  341 
Willie,  Mr.,  64  ;  death,  65 
Wilson,  Rev.  Daniel,  107,  252 
Winchester,  Bishop  of,  187 
Winifred,  328 
Wood,  Rev.  J.  B.,353 
Wuyagi,  162 

Yoruba,  3,  4,  8,  212 

Zhiru,  133 
Zibi,  131 


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T^he  Black  Bishop, 

Samuel  Adjai  Crowther 



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